THWACK’s Rich! One Percenters in Massachusetts Town Irked By Noisy Pickleball Players!
Thwack’s Rich! One Percenters in Massachusetts Town Irked By Noisy Pickleball Players!
Well, well, Wellesley. You’ve done it again. You’ve managed to make people roll their eyes at you and your tony zip code.
Yup, residents in one the richest ‘burbs in the US have HAD IT with pickleball players and the constant popping and thwacking of pickleballs day and night.
“You have no idea how annoying pickleball can be,” Wellesley resident John Maccini told The Boston Globe. “It’s loud, and it’s repetitive. I can’t sit on my porch and read anymore. It’s totally stressful. My quality of life has been ruined.
RUINED?
“When people last year voted to approve these pickleball courts, I’m sure none of them were aware of the noise complaints that are generated by pickleball noise,” he said.
Massachusetts Town Noisy Pickleball
He’s not the only one losing his mind at the sound of pickleball at Sprague Fields.
According to Boston.com, the Wellesley Recreation Commission held a hearing Friday morning to talk about the issue.
“I find the noise for Pickleball very annoying, upsetting,” Maccini said during the meeting. “I hear it in every room in my house. It’s stressful. They should not have those courts where they are now.”
Pickleball has been around since 1965.
Today, it’s the fastest-growing sport in the United States. It’s doubled from 4.8 million players in 2021 to 8.9 million in 2022, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
According to USA Pickleball, the number of courts are increasing as well, with approximately 130 new locations per month.
Wellesley is not the only community dealing with pickleball noise complaints.
In Falmouth, residents filed a suit against the zoning board of appeals, “claiming that pickleball violates the town bylaws that prohibit injurious and obnoxious noise levels” the Wall Street Journal reported.
According to the Wall Street Journal:
“Rob Mastroianni…ultimately sold his house and moved because he couldn’t deal with the constant noise anymore. He said 50 to 60 people would show up at the pickleball courts with beach chairs and play all day long.”