Pickleball is now a generational phenomenon.

Nearly 48.3 million adult Americans, or about 19% of the adult population, have played pickleball at least once, according to the Association of Pickleball Professionals. As of March, the No. 1 ranked women's player, Anna Leigh Waters, is 18. She has won 148 gold medals and was ranked No. 1 in the world for doubles, mixed doubles, and singles by the Professional Pickleball Association.

To highlight pickleball's appeal, Young & Laramore launched a new campaign for Paddletek. “Not A Real Sport” showcases the power and athleticism behind the U.S.’s fastest-growing sport.

The campaign includes a 60-second spot and 30-and-15-second cuts. Media spans broadcast TV, digital, paid digital, OOH and paid social on Tennis Channel, ESPN, FoxSports, CBS Sports, Amazon Prime, Hulu and PickleballTV.com.

“With a sales hat on, I'd say our primary target is tournament players. The diehards with two-to-four paddles in their bag and a full calendar of events. But more broadly, we’re for anyone with a competitive mindset,” Trevor Williams, executive creative director at Young & Laramore, told Agency Daily. “Whether you’re already playing at elite levels or just starting to take the game seriously. Paddletek is a brand for players who are addicted — not to winning per se, but to continual progress. The ones who never let up. Who’ve always got their eye on the next match. It’s about unlocking that next level of play.”

Waters, who has a sponsorship deal with Paddletek, is featured in the ad, which illustrates physical prowess, even as the voiceover claims “not a real sport, not a real athlete, not a real challenge …this isn’t real work, real talent, real skill.”

Pickelball's popularity has attracted numerous brands, per TrackItHub, including Adidas, Sketchers, Advil, DoorDash and Blue Note Bourbon.

Pickleball was invented in July 1965 by Washington state representative Joel Pritchard and his neighbors, Bill Bell and Barney McCallum. The name is a reference to pickle boats from crew, which uses rowers from different teams. Pickleball uses equipment from other sports.