New documentary 'The Power of Pickleball' dives deep into sport's cultural explosion

Alex Lantz

Director of Content

Last Edited

Dec 08 2025

Category

News

A new documentary called “The Power of Pickleball” is now streaming on Documentary+ and will be coming to more streaming platforms in early 2026.

The film, directed by Alexander Jeffery and produced by Susan Anderson, Brittany Fallow, Chris Lyon and Paul Petersen, is billed as an in-depth exploration of the fastest growing sport in the U.S. and the cultural wave it has been riding for the past decade.

Some of the biggest names in the sport – such as pro players Ben Johns and Catherine Parenteau, Major League Pickleball founder Steve Kuhn and The Kitchen founder Jared Paul – appear in the documentary, as well as others who helped build the sport behind the scenes for years before it exploded in popularity in the 2020s. Those voices include Jennifer Lucore, who authored a book about the history of pickleball, Frank Pritchard, whose family is credited with creating the game, longtime player and pickleball ambassador Steve Paranto, well-known tournament organizer Melissa McCurley and several others.

Jeffery, who has released several narrative feature films since the early 2020s, was inspired to pursue a documentary about pickleball by several family members who had become obsessed with the sport.

“Both my mom and my aunt are two of pickleball’s biggest cheerleaders, and I became exceedingly curious about where this sport came from and how it expanded into the cultural phenomenon that it is today,” he said. “Most of my work is about heartfelt, human relationships, so the community aspect of pickleball really intrigued me as a storyteller.”

Jeffery said the film crew traveled all over the U.S. to create the documentary, following a diverse cast of players – from former tennis pros to aging athletes to first-time players and rising young stars – as they navigate the competitive, social and often surprising world of pickleball.

“One thing we learned as we were making the documentary is that the world of pickleball was changing so fast, and it was hard for us to keep up at times,” Jeffery said. “So the things that we really wanted to focus on were those perennial, evergreen aspects of the sport, which is the history and then the broader message about how we got to the place we’re at and why pickleball was so addictive and so much fun.

“Pickleball has changed so many lives in a really positive way, both from a health standpoint and helping people find community, and I think those are the aspects of the sport that everybody who has played can relate to.”

The documentary makes its debut as pickleball participation has skyrocketed and as the sport has started to gain traction with more sponsorship opportunities and more coverage in mainstream media.

“Pickleball is sweeping across America, and this film is a fantastic showcase of that movement,” said Geoff Clark, CEO of Documentary+. “It’s exceptionally well made, and we’re confident audiences will love it.”

Doc+ made “The Power of Pickleball” available to its streaming audience earlier this month, and Jeffery said the documentary will also be available on Apple and Amazon platforms in the coming months.

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