Collegiate Pickleball Faces Petition to End Sunday Finals
What's the Score?
A petition with over 1,600 signatures from players and fans is challenging the scheduling practice of collegiate pickleball events, asking organisers to stop holding finals on Sundays. This movement, heavily supported by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), argues that Sunday play forces religious athletes to choose between their faith and their team commitments.
Hit it deeper!
The conflict arises from the tradition of "Championship Sunday" colliding with religious observances, particularly given that Utah, home to a significant LDS population and two of the country's top five college teams, is a major power centre for college pickleball.
Livvy Phillips, a 20-year-old player from Utah State University, initiated the petition in September. She articulated the difficult position athletes are placed in: "Players have to make that decision between our values and beliefs or letting my team down". Phillips stressed that athletes should not have to face such a choice.
This scheduling dilemma is typically accommodated in NCAA-recognised sports, where dozens of schools have official written policies barring competition on Sundays or other days for religious reasons. However, since pickleball is not yet officially recognised by the NCAA, it lacks this formal protective structure.
Responses from tour organisers have been mixed. Noah Suemnick, founder of the National Collegiate Pickleball Association, defended the current scheduling, asserting that his motivation is to use pickleball to "spread the name of Jesus to as many people as God will allow". Conversely, the UPA (USA Pickleball Association) is reportedly "considering changes," such as shifting to all-day Saturday competitions, specifically to address the concerns raised by teams with Sunday religious conflicts.
This debate mirrors similar challenges seen at the professional level. Pro player Callie Jo Smith previously discussed the complex balance between her faith and the demands of professional commitments, revealing that she felt "at peace" after trying Sunday play once, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time. This history demonstrates the persistent tension between competitive schedules and personal religious commitments across all levels of the sport.
The World Pickleball Verdict
The petition challenging Sunday play highlights a critical growing pain for collegiate pickleball: establishing competitive legitimacy while maintaining inclusivity. As pickleball rapidly seeks formal integration into established systems like the NCAA, it must confront traditional religious boundaries prevalent in American college sports. The division among organisers (like the NCPA defending Sunday play vs. the UPA considering adjustments) shows that the sport's identity—whether it prioritises maximising spectator access on Sunday or respecting the diverse religious landscape of its athletes—is still being defined. Ultimately, how collegiate pickleball resolves this conflict will determine its moral integrity and its ability to attract high-calibre athletes from religiously-focused communities.