Accept: Moving your body in gentle ways to improve flexibility such as yoga.

Resist: The concept of the more you exercise the longer you will be “healthier” and hold onto your youth longer.

1. Women who are in caretaker roles. Such as parents and caretakers of parents or disabled individuals. This is because they have such little personal time and the little time they have would not prioritise exercise.

2. Disabled people may not have the finances for a personal trainer and access to places that would have disability-friendly exercise machines. They may also not have the bodily function to perform physical activity. However, they will be viewed as lazy or not willing enough to “better” their health, even though they may not have the resources available to them or the physical ability.

3. Minority communities may not also have the resources or finances to have access to sports, as they can be very expensive. Also, people may have multiple jobs or need to care for people and not have the time and access to sports or exercise. Many people of colour have fewer opportunities and sports are considered a privilege, often accessed by white communities.

This Girl Can- Me Again, advertisement highlighted women of all ages, races, sizes, and bodily abilities. They represented women with disabilities, women with children, mothers, younger women, the elderly, those who need motivation and the motivators. It shows that any woman of any size, age, or ability could get out and do any sport. They also focused on different activities and activity levels, such as recreational sports and home exercises. Age is not represented as a burden, nor that sports are inaccessible to the older generation. There were moments when people used additional aid to enter the water! It highlighted how sports are for everyone, no matter what. This Girl Can advertisement was more inclusive than the Nike commercial.

Also, while pickleball certainly can be competitive, there are many recreational teams or people who play for fun. It is commonly viewed as a casual sport with fewer demands over highly competitive sports that may be daunting for those who want to maintain their physical ability. As Pike states in her article, there is often a demand for older people to maintain their societal expectations of not being a burden, and pickleball demonstrates a sweet spot for remaining physically active without straining the body. Pickleball is also not an expensive sport, you can obtain an inexpensive paddle and go to a public court without breaking the bank, which is ideal for those living on a retirement pension. Overall, it is a wonderful balance of maintaining athleticism without straining or putting too much pressure on the joints, as pickleball does not require much movement or range and offers social support.

1. The major problem seems to be that they are taking away green space from children and replacing it with an accessible sports area for a sport that is typically known to be played by an elderly audience. Many people complain it is not encouraging growth in the city because they consider the older population as fleeting and want something to support the younger generations (Pearson). There are many commenting on how this is a waste of money and will be a chronic noise impairment in the city (Head). It seems people want to prioritise the growth of the city to exclude those who are older because their presence and interests are inconvenient to others. It is ironic how in Pike’s article she explains how seniors feel like a burden within society because they cannot keep up with their ageing body or societal expectations, but when the older generation asks for a space to be physically active; they are reprimanded and believed to be wasting budget (Pike 571).

2.Older pickleball athletes are villainised and underrepresented in social media discussions on the addition of pickleball courts. Ageism is being represented as people are complaining about wasting the city budget on the pickleball court, two of which are accessible, as well as creating more accessible washrooms. The comments on the waste of budget because they are spending it on supporting a sport typically participated in by an older audience, as opposed to spending it solely on the younger generations (Pearson). Ageism is so prevalent, especially within the prominence of the accessible washrooms and courts. People have complained about having accessible courts and washrooms because it takes up more space and budget (Head). It is infuriating that the Peterborough citizens are so willing to dismiss the elderly generation and blame them for wanting space and accessible spaces to be athletic in. People complaining about the increased noise with the presence of the pickleball courts, despite being proven that there will be no increased noise risk, shows how people are so eager to dismiss the older generations as a burden on society. The older generation has also been underrepresented in this conversation due to their slower ability and less general interest in competing. In the pickleball tournament in Kingston last year, the highlighted athletes in Peterborough were all young, the youngest being eleven years old (Peterborough). In the article found, “Peterborough pickleball players shine at Kingston tournament,” they focus heavily on the younger members and their wins before mentioning the older competitors who also won gold. It is surprising to see such a dismissal of those 65+ in a sport predominantly played by the older generation.

I see the neoliberal agenda when people complain about the noise of the pickleball courts interrupting their days, even though there is no proof it will increase noise pollution (Head). I see it as people are upset about installing two accessible courts and accessible washrooms because it takes away more money but makes the park more accessible (Head). The neoliberal agenda for seniors to remain fit and useful to society excludes them when they ask for more accessibility to sports centres or athletic support.

Works Cited

Head, Bruce. “Study Finds ‘no Significant Increase’ in Noise from Planned Pickleball Courts at Bonnerworth Park in Peterborough.” kawarthaNOW, 13 Aug. 2024, kawarthanow.com/2024/08/13/study-finds-no-significant-increase-in-noise-from-planned-pickleball-courts-at-bonnerworth-park-in-peterborough/.

Pearson, Will. “How Else Could Peterborough Have Spent Its Pickleball Money?” Peterborough Currents, 20 Jan. 2025, peterboroughcurrents.ca/analysis/how-else-could-we-spend-our-pickleball-money/.

“Peterborough Pickleball Players Shine at Kingston Tournament.” PTBO Today, 17 Dec. 2024, www.ptbotoday.ca/2024/12/17/84554/.

Pike, Elizabeth CJ. “Assessing the Sociology of Sport: On Age and Ability.” International Review for the Sociology of Sport, vol. 50, no. 4–5, 2015, pp. 570–74, https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690214550009.