What started as a children's yard game in the 1960s, has become the fastest-growing sport in the country . With 19.8 million known participants , pickleball is taking the professional sports world by storm.

But despite its massive growth, some critics believe it's a fad — a claim passionate pickleball fans of all ages push back on.

"It's called pickle fever, if you're looking for a word," Major League Pickleball Commissioner Samin Odwhani told CBS News Texas in July at MLP's mid-summer tour stop in Carrollton. "We've coined it. It's 100% a thing."

Major League Pickleball is one of the two main pickleball professional leagues operating in the U.S. More than 100 players across 22 teams. Two of those teams are in Texas: the Dallas Flash and the Austin-based Texas Ranchers.

Pickleba

See Full Page