They may play for a team that has a legacy of winning Super Bowls, but on a pickleball court, they’re just “these guys” whom a mom beat at the game.
A woman — identified only as a mom named Meg — saw some guys playing pickleball recently but didn’t recognize them.
Meg texted her family a photo of her with her new teammates, saying that she teamed up with “the guy in the green shirt” with whom she “whooped the other two,” USA Today reported.
After the match, people wanted to take the foursome’s photo.
She did not seem to know that the “guy in the green shirt” was Minkah Fitzpatrick, and that they had just played against Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt.
Meg’s daughter, Nat, shared the photo and message that had been sent to her family and the tweet went viral, even catching Watt’s attention, Sports Illustrated reported.
Watt confirmed that Meg “was serving the HEAT,” and the teammates “had trouble all day.”
Sports Illustrated called pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America earlier this year.
There’s a USA Pickleball national association, which calls the sport “quick, fast-paced and competitive” for experienced players, but said that the rules are simple for beginners to learn.
Pickleball combines tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be played inside or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a modified tennis net.
The game is played with paddles and a plastic ball that has holes.
The game isn’t new. It was started in 1965 by a group of dads who were looking for something to do with their kids on Bainbridge Island near Seattle, Washington, according to USA Pickleball.
Actor Jeff Daniels called it “Half-court basketball for elderly people,” according to Sports Illustrated.
Actress Kelly Ripa said “Pickleball is the social media influencer of the sports world,” SI reported.