Country Music Star Riley Green Shares His Thoughts About Pickleball

Country music star Riley Green was recently interviewed on Bussin’ With The Boys podcast and the topic of Pickleball came up and he shared his thoughts about the sport.

I don’t like games that someone less athletic than me can beat me in.

If ever there was a truer statement! This fact really hits home for people under 45 who play pickleball for the first time and expect to beat their boomer aged competition. There are plenty of memes out there about former athletes getting beaten by the old guys with knee braces on each leg and two forehands.

I’m sure the same can be said for card games such as poker or blackjack where an intelligent person might think they have an obvious advantage. A more experienced player who is more familiar with bluffing, or the probability of when and what to bet will outplay someone who might be “smarter” than they are.

Riley is clearly joking and his comments are hysterical as he goes on to compare pickleball to both ping pong and pool because all three are games where practice and experience can beat out raw athleticism.

I want to show up and have an advantage because I’m taller, faster, work out and I’m in a little bit of better shape.

We’ve all underestimated the players on the other side of the net and gotten taken to school, especially when you’re younger and more athletic than they are. The lesson here is that you should never underestimate your opponent! Experience and time spent on the court will win more matches than talent and athleticism. Ask anyone who ever played junior tennis and they’ll tell you about all the matches they lost to players who were “worse” than they were.

It will be interesting to hear how other celebrities start to feel about pickleball, especially those who are younger and particularly athletic. One example that comes to mind is actor Jamie Foxx, who has jumped head first into pickleball with his affiliation with the company The Best Paddle.

You can watch Riley Green’s full interview on Bussin’ with the Boys to hear what else he had to say!