More schools playing pickleball during coronavirus pandemic and last updated 2021-01-14 13:06:48-05 Playing sports while obeying safety protocols, like social distancing, can be difficult. But with many people looking to exercise and stay safe during the pandemic, one sport is now serving up that option: pickleball. âCompared to other sports where you have a lot of contact with each other, pickleball, youâre very rarely getting close to each other,â said Laura Gainor with USA Pickleball. Gainor describes pickleball as a sport thatâs a mix of badminton and ping-pong. While pickelball is played in an area half the size of a tennis court, the court big enough to properly social distance.