How Minnesota Became A Hub For Pickleball Enthusiasts

Pickleball is among the fastest-growing sports in the world, and Minnesota is a the forefront of its latest surge.

According to Action Network, there are currently 48.3 million pickleball players in the United States, creating a market worth about $1.5 billion.

Minnesota ranked fifth in the Action Network's study that sought to find out which states were the most 'pickleball obsessed,' trailing only Vermont, Utah, Hawaii and Maine.

COURTS, COURTS EVERYWHERE

The study found Minnesota's 251 pickleball courts to be the most of any state in the top five, but because of its relatively high population it also has the lowest rate of courts per person at 4.3.'

WHAT. IS. PICKLEBALL.

Minnesotans conducted 1.11 million pickleball-related searches online this past year, or 19,111 per 100,000 Minnesota residents.

The state's 'obsession score' of 4.78 narrowly edged sixth-place Arizona, seventh-place Colorado and eighth-place Idaho. The five least pickleball-obsessed states were Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Kentucky.

St. Cloud's Stanley Cup Champion Nate Schmidt [GALLERY]

Former St. Cloud Cathedral and University of Minnesota standout Nate Schmidt will bring the Stanley Cup to St. Cloud on August 25th. Here's a look at his career through photos.