Just One More Game

An entertaining look at the meteoric rise of pickleball and one player’s joyful obsession with the game. Just One More Game is writer Clare Frank’s account of abandoning herself to a sport loved by millions (and hated by plenty of others). As she tries to understand its hold on America and herself, Frank takes readers far and wide, from PickleCon to the US Open, into the sport’s roots and its viral rise, and along on her quixotic quest to qualify for the pickleballing big-time. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in North America and has been for some time. In 2017, there were 3 million players in the United States, and by 2024, that number had grown to nearly 20 million. With over 68,000 courts across the country, a burgeoning professional league, and the sport targeting the 2032 Olympics, it shows no sign of slowing down. The game was born in Washington State in 1965, and so was author Clare Frank, but she didn’t encounter the game until 2021, when she got roped into joining a neighborhood friend’s game. Despite being mystified by the court dimensions, the equipment, and especially the lingo (whose kitchen was being violated?), it wasn’t long before the retired firefighter’s competitive drive kicked in. And then she was in deep: joining “underground” games, shaking off injuries, playing in local tournaments, and traveling to Mexico for clinics.