3.9 • 2.2K Ratings
🗓️ 5 July 2023
⏱️ 21 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Whether you think it's a passing fad or the greatest thing to ever happen to sports, chances are you've heard about the fastest growing game in the United States: pickleball. And lately, a sport without much history appears to have found its biggest star, who's been crushing her competition even though she's barely old enough to drive. Today, the story of how Anna Leigh Waters went from a kid with college soccer dreams, to a dominant pickleball pro — in a few short years. Plus, the sport has already gotten buy-in from Tom Brady and LeBron James, but how sustainable is its long-term future?
Guest: Jon Wertheim, Sports Illustrated
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0:09.0 | Well done. You've sorted through the embarrassment of riches that is the modern podcast landscape and found me Rob Briden on my podcast. |
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0:57.0 | There's what happens you think, wow, I hit a great return in the corner and you are given up angle and that is a terrific ball from Analy Waters. |
1:21.0 | Whether you think it's a passing fad or the greatest thing to ever happen to sports, chances are you've heard about the fastest growing game in the United States. Pickleball. |
1:34.0 | What a point, what a match so far and championship point now on the side of Analy Waters. |
1:43.0 | And lately this sport that doesn't have much history appears to have found its biggest star who's been crushing her competition even though she's barely old enough to drive. |
1:55.0 | And Analy Waters has broke a two handed backhand. She's saved two match points down and it is now Analy Waters with a championship point of her own element. |
2:09.0 | Today, John Worthyme from Sports Illustrated tells us how Analy Waters went from a kid with college soccer dreams to a dominant Pickleball professional in a few short years. |
2:20.0 | Three years ago, you'd said, hey, Analy's going to be number one in the country and pinball around from Texas to Charlotte to Arizona every week. |
2:28.0 | It's going to be a new tournament to support with a wiffle ball. They wouldn't believe it. |
2:32.0 | Plus, what it means to be a superstar as a teenager in a sport that's still figuring out its identity. |
2:40.0 | From Wondery, I'm Tiffany Oshinsky. It's Wednesday, July 5th and this is The Lead. |
2:50.0 | John Worthyme, welcome back to The Lead. Thanks. Good to be here. |
2:54.0 | Excited to have you on today, John. Now, we're going to look at the really rapid rise of Analy Waters in a sport that has emerged really quickly itself. |
3:03.0 | But before we get into her story, can you explain how this sport is played? |
3:08.0 | I think that's part of the beauty is it's really simple. It's a paddle. I don't know. There'd be 50 bucks, 100 bucks. It's played with a wiffle ball. |
3:16.0 | It's played on a surface. It's basically half the size of a tennis court. You put up a net. You put up some lines. |
3:22.0 | It's not dissimilar to tennis. There's both singles and doubles. There's some technicalities. |
3:28.0 | But it's basically badminton tennis. It's just a court game where you're trying to hit the ball within boundaries. |
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