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The NY Post is warning everyone that “pickleball is a drug.” Thankfully, they rounded up a few doctors with some super-helpful insights.

Tennis icon Billie Jean King told CNBC there’s one thing in particular about pickleball she just can’t get behind. And to keep all these good vibes flowing, there’s a group of ballroom dancers in California pushing back against the pickleball “fad.”

In This Issue:
— Stop panicking with Anna Bright
— Our favorite reader-submitted tattoos
— The $100 paddle that surprised everyone

Nothing but love.

Pickleball influencer Emily Visnic has tried a lot of pickleball shoes. But these six, from Asics to Nike and a few in between, top her list. She hit the court to rank them across a few key categories, including comfort, support, speed, and stability. Here’s how they stacked up.

Tennis icon Billie Jean King sat down with CNBC recently for an interview, and of course was asked about her thoughts on pickleball. “I don’t like the sound,” she said, comparing it to the “magical” noise a tennis ball makes. To each their own, we suppose.

Carvana and the PPA Tour are bringing back their “Pickleball For All” Accessibility Clinic for the third consecutive year, on Wed., Sept. 10, at Ohio’s Lindner Family Tennis Center. It’s free to all, “creating a space where everyone can participate and have fun.” Book your spot.

A group of ballroom dancers in Clovis, California, aren’t happy about taped pickleball courts encroaching on their “beautiful” dance floor. In a City Council meeting, one disgruntled dancer put it this way: “Pickleball is a fad. Ballroom has been around for a long time and it’s not going to go away.”

You know that feeling when you flinch during a speed-up? Or reach to defend the same crosscourt dink over and over, and pop it up every time?

That’s not just a weak spot in your game. That’s panic, the pickleball kiss of death if you ask Anna Bright.

In her latest newsletter and blog post (if you don’t subscribe yet, you really should), she shares a few pearls of wisdom for remaining calm in the face of adversity.

✅ On admitting you have a problem: “Panic is the worst possible emotion to be feeling on the court.”

✅ On identifying what makes you panic: “The best way to find these areas is to do an extended drilling session with a friend or record yourself and be honest about where you struggle.”

✅ On embracing the suck: “Pickleball can be hard, it can be uncomfortable, but the only way to improve is to get comfortable being uncomfortable. You should even look to embrace it!”

✅ On the power of practice: “Once you know when you panic, you have to subject yourself to that feeling until it becomes home.”

✅ On upping the stakes: “If you work hard on conquering the areas of your game where panic creeps in, you’ll watch improvement happen rapidly. I’m a big believer in ‘trial by fire’ and things only being proven through competition.”

Got all that? Good. Now get out there and compete. Panic only wins if you let it.

➡️ Read Anna’s full article.

You’ve heard the story. Now let’s talk about the shoe.

Montis built the Drop 1.0 with one promise in mind: last longer than the competition without breaking the bank. On average? You’re looking at 250 hours of real play for just $109 a pair.

That comes from a dense outsole built to take the beating pickleball dishes out. Add in a wider toe box, a sock liner that hugs without squeezing, and a heel cup that keeps you locked in during those quick side-to-side moves. It’s the full package — comfort, stability, and durability rolled into one.

If you’re tired of rotating through “court shoes” that feel worn after a couple of weekends, the Drop 1.0 is the fix.

➡️ Check them out here and see why Montis is quickly becoming the brand players are talking about.

In March, Fred Hull lost consciousness and collapsed while playing at a private facility in St. George, Utah.

A player on an adjacent court called 911. He wasn't breathing when two fellow players jumped into action.

They started CPR, and utilized the on-court automated external defibrillator, or AED.

Today, Fred is doing fine. He's even returned to the pickleball court, and plays regularly with the people who helped save his life just a few months ago.

Fred got a tattoo, pictured above, as a heartfelt reminder of his near-death experience and the people who pulled him through it.

It’s just one of many pickleball tattoos our readers sent to us.

➡️ See some of our favorites, right here.

Trust us when we say, we know a pickleball clickbait article when we see one. And the NY Post may have just outdone itself with this doozy:

Doctors warn ‘pickleball is a drug’ — as players go to wild lengths to make sure their paddle matches their shoes, injuries be damned

We know we shouldn’t acknowledge its existence. That by mentioning it in this newsletter, we’re giving it exactly what it wants — oxygen to its silly little insignificant flame. But it’s all just so preposterous we couldn’t help ourselves.

Here, then, offered without comment, are a few “takeaways.” We hope they give you a good laugh.

💡 “If a 65-year-old woman comes in with an acute pickleball injury, it’s an Achilles rupture until proven otherwise,” said one doctor.

💡 “Pickleball is a drug. Bone will be sticking out of the skin and the person who had the accident will be like, ‘Hey, doc, how [long until I] can get back on the court?’” offered another.

💡 A third doctor even recounted one avid player who knowingly wore ill-fitting shoes during a “marathon weekend tournament” just because they matched her paddle color, and “she felt she didn’t perform as well when those things didn’t match.”

While this article reads like a joke, pickleball injuries are no laughing matter. It just helps to lean on facts rather than questionable headline-grabbing anecdotes.

➡️ Like this new study out of Saint Louis University.

Just because the 2025 MLP season wrapped doesn’t mean St. Louis Shock gear goes back in the closet.

Their uniforms, designed with MUEV, look just as good off the court as they do in the semis. Players might be taking a break until next season, but you don’t have to.

You can rep the same fits the Shock wore all year long, and thanks to our hookup, you’ll save while you do it.

➡️ Grab yours straight from MUEV’s site with code THEDINK for 20% off.

Ronbus is best known for the Ripple, the ill-fated power paddle that crashed onto the scene early this year only to be pulled due to playing more like a missile-launcher than a pickleball paddle. The brand released a new, fully certified version months later, but it never really took off.

Now, Ronbus is putting the industry back on notice: Today, it launched the Quanta, a full-foam power paddle retailing for just $120 (or $100 if you use a bunch of readily available coupon codes at the links below).

This launch is noteworthy for a couple reasons.

It’s a head-turner, to be sure. And could signal a new era of budget power paddles. Here’s a deeper look from a few of our favorite reviewers: Pickleball Studio, Pickleball Effect, and Pickleball Pursuit.

A review from the Dink Fam...

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