On 5/26/26 3:11 AM, *skriptis wrote:

I will use Star Trek analogy you may like.

If someone asked what's the true Star Trek, I'd say The Motion Picture and early TNG seasons. The end.

I feel that way, but it also makes sense logically, since the creator had most influence in those two cases, it's a valid point that those two instances would be truest to his vision.

So let's link that to the grass tennis, which is somehow recognized as the true tennis setting, even though it may not be universally liked or widespread.??

Next, TOS show has some deep moments, and is generally fun, despite some bad moments. Their Star Trek II and III are good movies (with 4, 5, 6 being very bad imo, despite 6th having a good premise). So it's a totally mixed bag.

This stuff is original in its own right, just not my cup of tea to the same extent as the stuff I compared to grass, so let's compare this to clay tennis (likewise traditional yet very different and opposite from the former).

Clay can be good, but sometimes totally boring. It very much depends on who's playing so it's a good comparison I think. ??

Next, later TNG, TNG movies, DS9, Voyager, it's all so generic, you can watch it, and yes that's the most mainstream in-show universe, it's arguably default setting, but it's also bland, so let's call it hard court tennis. Baraeble, watchable, just not inspiring. ??

Next, the show Enterprise is a totally ruined chance, excellent premise but horrendous execution. It is blue clay, not viable. Nice try, but go away. ??

Next, the rebooted movies and everything after it, all these countless shows, it's all so absurd, it's not even tennis, it's padel. ??

Fun fact and moral of the story

The closest tennis courts near my residence where I play are being demolished to make place for padel courts.

Oh, for shit's sake...

This is no doubt what we call "pickleball" (PB) here. There's an
interesting phenomenon going on with PB.

I first became aware of it as a physical education activity for school
kids, maybe around 2005 or so. It looked like it was good for when it
rained and the kids would play it indoors.

Time passed. I next started hearing about it increasingly maybe 5-6
years ago, and this time it was from enthusiastic adults, none of whom
played actual tennis.

This exploded rapidly. Public tennis courts were converted, and indoor
venues, like old under-used shopping malls, were made into private
courts. There were leagues, and it was even on TV just a bit.

Now, I realize that it;s still popular, and some of those entrereneurs
late to the trough have set up a sorta pro circuit, but really, it is
dropping away. You can feel it going.

It parallels the gigantic racquetball craze of the 70s-80s here in the
US. The sport, racquetball, is now practiced mostly by a hardcore cadre
of ???. I could never connect with it and viewed it as a jerk-off game,
not true sport.

I think PB (padel) is on the same trajectory. As a publicly funded
activity in parks, etc., it is smaller, so more courts for about the
same cost as existing tennis courts, and tennis--let's face it--is not
what it once was here in the US. But it is unwatchable on TV, and seems
just like a sorry caricature of tennis, maybe for the circus side-show performers in Tod Browning's "Freaks".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W99n083E0IA




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