Has the screaming gone too far in pro pickleball? Fans, pundits weigh in
A recent PPA Tour match has re-ignited a debate among fans and pundits about over-the-top celebrations and taunting in pro pickleball.
The debate has been a constant topic of discussion among fans in The Kitchen Facebook Group for years, but a women’s singles match at last week’s PPA Tour Chicago Cup between Maria Ford and Genie Bouchard has kicked it into overdrive.
Bouchard won the first game in the match, but Ford ramped up the intensity in the second and third games, with loud screams after almost all of the points she won. She did not say anything directly to Bouchard, but the former tennis star was clearly annoyed and flustered by what was happening across the net.
Ford went on to win the match, and then Bouchard refused to tap paddles after it was over — introducing a secondary debate that has also been a hot topic in various pickleball forums over the years. All we were missing was a controversy over serve legality to complete the public pickleball debate trifecta (screaming + no paddle tap + serve controversy … dang, so close).
No penalties or warnings were issued to Ford, and the match has led some to suggest that the PPA Tour needs to implement an anti-taunting rule to prevent such behavior.
In the same tournament, Hayden Patriquin and Eric Oncins exchanged words on several occasions in a men’s doubles match, with Patriquin even admitting that he called Oncins a b*tch at one point. That’s not the first time Patriquin has gone with that choice of words toward an opponent.
But the Bouchard-Ford match has resulted in far more discussion — perhaps because Bouchard has the type of star-power that extends beyond the picklesphere.
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As of Thursday afternoon, our initial Instagram and Facebook posts about the match had generated more than 3,000 comments from fans on both sides of the issue.
So what do you think? Did Ford take it too far? Should there be a more strict rule governing celebrations and taunting? Is this all just a big overreaction? Drop your takes here.
