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Dink, speed up, smash!
Such has been the rise in popularity of pickleball in recent years, from niche backyard games to ubiquitous national obsession and professional sport, with many left wondering what the fuss is all about. A Pickleball Gospel packages the essence of America's vibrant pickleball culture with the thoughts and experiences of an aspiring anthropologist and elite pickleball player.
From the practice courts of public parks, churches, gymnasiums, and private clubs to the center court of a professional tour event, readers are taken on a pickleball journey complete with charming playfulness, intense action, and colorful characters.
Additionally, woven within the text is a new perspective on sport that highlights not just competition but cooperation as well, which are proposed to co-exist in an ever-present tension otherwise known as coopetition. Among other things, "coopetition" ensures that both sides of a competition gain or benefit in sport, regardless of who wins and loses.
In this anthropological retelling of the author's experience, readers can expect to find the following:
Responses and commentary from a select group of pickleball enthusiasts
Touches of personal memoir
Scientific inquiry into "coopetition" in sport
Readers can choose to engage with A Pickleball Gospel as a scientific, anthropological inquiry or simply as a popular tale about a new and exciting sporting phenomenon.
About the author
Max Manthou, known colloquially as Purple Jesus, is a professional pickleball player from Tacoma, Washington. He played tennis at the University of Washington, served in the Peace Corps in Indonesia, and then received his master's degree in anthropology from Illinois State University. Manthou has also competed in several other sports, including captaining his high school's state champion basketball team and qualifying for the collegiate nationals in table tennis and poker. For hobbies, he enjoys reading, listening to music, hiking, traveling, and playing with cats. He speaks four languages and thinks Iron Maiden is the greatest band of all time.
