Bill Gates calls himself a 'pickler'! Billionaire's favourite sport is gaining popularity 50 yrs after it was invented

Sporting activities are good for your health! Engaging in any form of physical activity contributes greatly to improving one’s mental health as it reduces anxiety, brightens up one’s mood, and even boosts one's self-esteem.

Billionaire Bill Gates with his recent video showed that sports can be enjoyed by all age groups. His latest post has been inspiring many on the Internet. The 66-year-old billionaire shared a video of him playing a peculiar sport. Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, has been playing this game for over 50 years. The unique sport borrows heavily from tennis, badminton, and table tennis, but is quite distinct in its way.

“I’ve been a little stunned—and delighted—by the sudden popularity of one of my favourite pastimes, a game with a funny name and strange terminology, such as dink, kitchen and skinny singles,” wrote Gates describing his favourite sport. The video shared by Gates shows a timeline of him playing the game through years.

According to Gates, who calls himself a 'pickler', the game is a mash-up of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. The billionaire said that if one was unaware of the game, they would soon get to hear about it. He dubbed it an ideal activity for families to beat boredom this summer.

Pickleball has been making news all over the US since February 2022. The game is now hailed as the fastest-growing sporting activity since 2021. The game is played with rackets, a small ball, and nets.

The sport was invented in Bainbridge Island, Washington in 1965. The billionaire philanthropist’s father Gates Sr was friends with the founders of the game - Barney McCullam, Bill Bell, and Joel Pritchard. According to another explanation, the game came to be played on a day when their families were unable to find a part of a badminton set. Hence, the founders improvised the game with paddles used in ping-pong and a perforated ball.

Gates said that it was stunning that the game was picking up almost fifty years after it was invented. He said that it was rooted in Seattle and that it was amazing to see the game gain momentum in 2022.