Pickleball is one of the greatest games around, but its growth is impeded its off-putting name. "Pickleball" sounds like a bad attempt at humor, and simply can't gain widespread popularity until its official name is changed.

Winning a tournament is less fun when you sound silly telling your friends and family about it. And because pickleball's largest demographic is senior citizens, the game's name gives the impression that someone's depression-era grandfather made it up in their backyard. Can anyone really call themselves a pickleballer (or a pickler) and expect to be taken seriously?

Pickleball is in serious need of rebranding if it is ever to gain any semblance of legitimacy. It should be given a name that might be considered for admission in the Olympics, not a name appropriate for Uncle Joe's annual barn games. Just as ping pong is officially called table tennis, pickleball should officially be called wiffle tennis.

So why wiffle tennis? First, pickleball is already the top search result when you google "wiffle tennis." This suggests, at a minimum, that people who are using those search terms are actually looking for more information about pickleball. Wiffle tennis has thus already proven itself to be a name with sticking power. Also, selecting a name that is already somewhat associated with pickleball can help the transition process.

Second, wiffle tennis succinctly describes what the gameplay is actually like. Prospective players will immediately know what the game is about, even if they don't know all the rules. And although the ball might not be a traditional wiffleball, it is not so distinct that it makes a difference—the USAPA (or, better yet, the USWTA) can still set standards for what makes a ball an official wiffle tennis ball.

Giving the sport a descriptive name will help cement it in people's minds, since many newcomers probably can't remember a name as disconnected from the gameplay as pickleball currently is. Also, because most descriptive names are either already taken or too long-winded, wiffle tennis is the best solution we have to pickleball's biggest problem.

Rename pickleball please! And, if not to wiffle tennis, then to something (anything) better than the game's current name.