Butler appeared in Wuhan, he didn t play basketball this time

Xinhua News Agency, Wuhan, August 6 (Reporter Le Wenwan) U.S. Vocational Basketball (NBA) star Jimmy Butler made a debut in Wuhan on the 6th. But this time, he did not play basketball, but an emerging sport that was popular in the United States and more and more Chinese people began to understand and try.

On a small picky field cleverly built in Wuhan Haoranshi Sports Park, Butler partnered with Zhejiang's picky player Cai Xiang to have a doubles "tie-seven" showdown with two picky picky players. This exhibition match, which ended in less than ten minutes, seemed like a "small fight", but it planted a new seed in the hearts of many onlookers.

"It is great to inspire more people to participate in sports, whether it is basketball or pickle ball," Butler said after the game.

Butler's temporary partner Cai Xiang is only 23 years old. He has been studying Peak Ball for less than a year and won the men's singles championship at the Jiangxi Shangyou Station of the China Peak Ball Tour not long ago. He is also a microcosm of the rapid development of this sport in China.

"Butler is my idol. His tough guy style and fighting spirit on the court are valuable and worth learning from." Cai Xiang said that he came from Zhejiang specifically to compete with his idol, and at night he would rush to Vietnam to participate in the Pike Open.

Although this mini-game venue looks like a tall Butler is "a little frustrated", the game process is very interesting. The plastic ball bounced crisply between the racket and the ground, and every time Butler scored, he would celebrating Cai Xiang. In the end, they won the game 8:6.

"I feel that Butler does not have much foundation for the game, but during the game, he showed top athleticism, reaction speed and coordination skills." Cai Xiang said, "This is the charm of the game - novices can get started quickly."

Peak was born in the United States in the 1960s. It combines the characteristics of tennis, badminton and table tennis. It uses a plastic ball with holes and a slightly larger table tennis racket, and the venue area is about half of the tennis court. The characteristics of Peak Ball's small venue, light equipment, low threshold, and high fun have quickly become popular in North America.

Cai Xiang said that he was originally a tennis player, but when Zheng Qinwen won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a domestic tennis craze set off, he chose to play pickle instead.

"I have thought about it and feel that the development prospects of domestic Peak balls are promising." Cai Xiang said that Peak balls have the attribute of "national adaptation". "You can play as young as 3 years old or as old as 70 years old. And the requirements for the venue are not high. I hope to let more people understand this sport through my own efforts."

According to Butler's opponent, Chongqing Peak Player player Wang Guangmao, in recent years, the base of the Peak Player group and the number of games have increased exponentially in Chongqing alone. At the same time, the national Peak Ball Event has doubled from nearly 100 stops last year to more than 200 stops.

"The feeling of playing the Peak ball is very exciting." Wang Guangmao said, "Often the game is a win in three games and it can end in 20 to 30 minutes. It has a fast pace and a strong sense of accomplishment."

According to Song Hongfei, general manager of the Beijing Feifan Lingyue Sports Division, there are two key factors in the rapid development of China Peak ball: low threshold and strong social attributes. He said that the promotion and popularization of Peak ball cannot be separated from the holding of the series of events. "The China Peak Ball Tour covers all levels of events ranging from 50 points to 2,000 points, and basically covers all provinces across the country."

This year, the China Peak Ball Tour has about 16 games with 1,000 points, 7 youth competitions and 4 team competitions. The number of various low-level competitions in the country will be nearly 1,000. The scale and number of events will increase next year. The rapid promotion of

Pickball also brings new business opportunities to venue operators.

After inspecting the development of plate tennis, squash and pickball in many places across the country, Zhai Yiming, the head of Wuhan Haoranshi Sports Park, chose to invest in the construction of the pickball court. "We now have three outdoor pickup courts, with an average charge of more than 80 yuan per hour, but the venue is basically full every day." For this reason, he has planned 6 to 8 indoor pickup courts in other projects and is expected to be delivered and used next year. "The summer in Wuhan is too hot, and the sports experience of indoor pickup stadiums will be better. For operators, 24/7 venue rental can also shorten the investment return cycle accordingly," he said.

At the same time, the industry is also aware of the insufficient "star effect" of Chinese Pike. "China Peak Ball is waiting for an opportunity for explosive development. Its popularity and fashion attributes are very strong. If it can introduce celebrities to cross-border, it will be of great help." Zhai Yiming said.

And this time Butler's appearance was undoubtedly a successful test.