Happy Thanksgiving, pickleballers.
We here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket will get to Thanksgiving in a moment, but first we need to address something that happened recently in the pickleball world that is anything but a display of peace, harmony and fellowship.
It has been hard to avoid a viral video showing a pickleball player in a tournament game getting kicked in the face. Not an accidental kick.
This kick was on purpose by an opposing player during what was supposed to be a display of sportsmanship at the end of their game.
As guardians of decorum in this game we love, we here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket feel it’s safe to say that it’s never a good idea to purposefully kick an opponent in the head – especially if you’re standing in the kitchen, where the little-known “no head volley” rule is in full effect.
(Note to editor: I don’t recommend you try to verify that rule.)
The incident at the end of this game among a gathering of youngish pickleball bros brimming with testosterone was captured by a bystander with a camera.
It has since been making the rounds on social media.
The video shows that after the final point of the game, one of the winning players shouts, “C’mon, let’s go!” followed by an exclamation of joy punctuated with an obscenity.
As the four players stand on either side of the net for the paddle tap moments later, things degenerate quickly.
The winning player who just shouted for joy at the end of the game, appears to slap the paddle out of one of the losing players’ hands rather than give a gentle “Good game” paddle tap.
The losing player reacts at first by holding out his arms in a gesture that conveys, “What’s your problem, dude?”
The paddle slapper, perhaps acknowledging that he went too far, bends down across the net to pick up the paddle he just slapped out of his former opponents’ hand.
And that’s when a bad situation gets worse.
While the paddle slapper in the act of contrition, bending down across the net to pick up the paddle that is now on the court, the losing player opts to react to this conciliatory gesture by kicking the winning player in the face while he is defenseless.
It’s not a gentle kick either. It’s a full-on UFC-style sidewinder to the face that sends his target sprawled on the court in what appears to be a temporarily dazed condition.
In case you haven’t seen the video yet, here it is:
Naturally, the incident has generated a lot of debate on the pickleball sites and not a lot of sympathy for either player, although, surprisingly, way more sympathy for the kicker than the kicked.
If you think the video was brutal, the commentary over it has been crude in its own right.
Here are some social media comments that represent the various views expressed.
The kicker didn’t go far enough:
“He slapped the paddle out of that guy’s hand after screaming like he dunked on Shaq. Dude should have followed up with a fast left and right while he was hanging on the net.”
If you taunt another player, you might just get kicked in the head:
“We have all been the guy that wanted to kick that type of guy in the face.”
It’s a symptom of our society’s decay
“Society has gotten so soft and passive that it’s now assumed you can scream at the top of your lungs at someone, smack a paddle out of their hands, and then be absolutely bewildered afterwards when you get kicked in the face.”
It was a good lesson for the guy who got kicked:
“How much do you want to bet the dummy who got kicked in the chops won’t celebrate like he just won Wimbledon the next time he wins a stupid pickleball game?”
Nobody deserves to get kicked in the face, no matter how unsportsmanlike you behave:
“It’s insane how many people are trying to justify kicking someone in the face.”
Maybe young people shouldn’t play pickleball:
“This is what happens when you have people getting ultra competitive in a sport where you don’t really expend much energy or aggression. Pickleball is best enjoyed by people too old or physically limited to play tennis.”
Pickleball is too trivial for head kicks:
“Seriously, a 30-something getting that excited over a win in a game designed for 70-year olds is a problem. Calm down, dude. You’re playing Wiffle Ball on a 20-foot court with temporary nets.”
This incident is actually great for the sport:
Comment No. 1: “Kickle Ball!”
Comment No. 2: “Tennis needs more of this.”
Comment No. 3: “This is awesome. I didn’t know you could kick to the face. I might want to start playing now.”
So what do we here at Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket think of all this?
Well, it’s a great illustration that as the pickleball universe expands, all sorts of players will be added.
And some won’t be a joy to play with. It’s best to be on the lookout for them and to figure out ways of avoiding them before things reach the head-kicking stage.
Now, as promised, let’s turn to a happier subject, Thanksgiving.
I’ll bet you didn’t know that the first Thanksgiving between the Pilgrims who landed on Plymouth Rock and the Wampanoag tribe was actually a pickleball tournament.
Well, not really. But every sport deserves its own mythological origin story.
I wrote it last year, and I’m reposting it here so you can have it as a refresher on this Thanksgiving.
Here’s the link: https://tinyurl.com/2n7c6yr3
As you’ll note, there’s no head kicking.
Happy Thanksgiving.
MURMURS FROM THE LOSERS’ BRACKET
Read past editions of Murmurs from the Losers’ Bracket, including:
- Ten Things Not to Say on a Pickleball Court
- Oh, the Horror! Playing with a Pickleball Partner who won’t Move Up
- Not a Softie When it Comes to Pickleball with a Foam Ball
- Do Pickleball Prayers Get Answered?
- Ten Tips for Being “Nice” at Pickleball
- Attention Pickleballers: Be On The Lookout For “Ball Blowers”
- The Etiquette Crisis with “Open Play”
- Lob into the Sun? Maybe, Maybe Not
- Mastering the Diplomacy of Round-Robin Scheduling
- Confessions of a Paddle Addict
Frank Cerabino is a long-time columnist for the Palm Beach Post in Florida, a pickleball addict like the rest of us, and a newly published author. Check out Frank’s newly released book, I Dink, Therefore I Am: Coming to Grips with My Pickleball Addiction (available on Amazon and a great read (or gift!) for any pickleball player), for pickleball tips and laughs!
