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☆ ‘The Bear’ and a Chaotic Vision of Work
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Melissa Kirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Business leaders are resorting to desperate measures to entice workers back to the office, my colleague Emma Goldberg reported recently. “It’s been three years of scattershot plans for returning to in-person work — summoning people in, not really meaning it, everybody pretty much working wherever they pleased,” she wrote. One idea I haven’t seen floated is to offer screenings of the series “The Bear,” whose second season was released in June on Hulu. When it debuted last year, “The Bear” was praised for its authenticity, for depicting the chaos of a real restaurant kitchen. Hands are burned, fingers slashed; the pace of the prep rush turns the kitchen staff into sweating, shouting bodies, meat cooking meat.” Hardly a convincing argument for in-person work.

Persons: Emma Goldberg, “ It’s, ”, “, Will inducements, Salesforce, James Beard, ” James Poniewozik, begrudgingly Organizations: Hulu, The Locations: Chicagoland, The Times, The

☆ A certain type of vacation home is struggling to stay booked this summer: the outdated, mid-tier listings on Airbnb and Vrbo
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The high end and low end of listings are getting booked this summer, Airbnb managers told Insider. It's a listing stuck in the mediocre middle and, during the most competitive summer for hosts in the past three years, it's not getting booked. Kenworthy said these properties have been 80% booked this summer, running higher than the projected average of 56%. Budget travelers this summer have 'Champagne tastes on a beer budget'Meanwhile, with an abundance of listings to choose from, budget travelers are perusing with high expectations. Hosts said, for many of the listings getting stuck in the mediocre middle, it comes down to aesthetics.

Persons: —, it's, Jamie Lane, They're, Ric Kenworthy, Kenworthy, Katie Kay Mead, Mead, aren't, Lane Organizations: Phoenix, Service Locations: Arrowhead, California

☆ Shattered Nerves, Sleepless Nights: Pickleball Noise Is Driving Everyone Nuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Andrew Keh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It sounded like popcorn warming in a microwave: sporadic bursts that quickened, gradually, to an arrhythmic clatter. “There it is,” Mary McKee said, staring out the front door of her home in Arlington, Va., on a recent afternoon. McKee, 43, a conference planner, moved to the neighborhood in 2005 and for the next decade and a half enjoyed a mostly tranquil existence. More arrived in short order, spreading out until there were six games going at once. Together they produced an hourslong ticktock cacophony that has become the unwanted soundtrack of the lives of McKee and her neighbors.

Persons: ” Mary McKee, McKee Organizations: Walter Reed Community Center Locations: Arlington , Va

☆ American companies are draining their cash at the dumbest possible time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Companies are sitting on a lot less cash than they were last year, largely because they’re spending it on share buybacks and corporate dividends. What’s happening: A new report from Moody’s Investors Service finds that nonfinancial companies’ corporate cash declined 12% last year to $2 trillion. But debt was flat year over year, meaning that companies didn’t use much of their cash reserves to pay down outstanding loans. Now that it’s more expensive to borrow, companies in the US should reconsider the amount of money they’re spending on buybacks, he added. Preventing companies from repurchasing their own shares, they argue, would free corporate cash to invest in growth and raise wages instead.

Persons: Emile El Nems, ”, Ben Lofthouse, Janus Henderson, ” El Nems, Joe Biden, buybacks, “, Brian Moynihan, Moynihan, CNN’s Poppy Harlow, Nathaniel Meyersohn, That’s Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN — Companies, Moody’s Investors Service, Moody’s, Federal Reserve, Bank of America, Corporations, ”, CNN, Commerce Department, UBS Locations: New York, buybacks

☆ Pickleball injuries may cost Americans nearly $400 million this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Pickleball injuries may cost Americans $377 million in health care costs this year, accounting for 5% to 10% of total unexpected medical costs, UBS analysts estimated in a report Monday. From 2010-2019, 86% of emergency department visits due to pickleball injuries occurred in people over 60 years old, according to the medical study. Around 60% of pickleball injuries are sprains, strains and fractures. The analysts estimated that there will be around 67,000 emergency room visits, 366,000 outpatient visits and 9,000 outpatient surgeries related to pickleball injuries this year. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association trade group, pickleball has grown from 3.5 million players in 2019 to 8.9 million in 2022.

Persons: New York CNN —, Pickleball Organizations: New, New York CNN, UBS, Sports, Fitness Industry Association Locations: New York

☆ We are seeing a lot more pickleball injuries, says Dr. Kavita Patel
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe are seeing a lot more pickleball injuries, says Dr. Kavita PatelDr. Kavita Patel, NBC News medical contributor, joins 'Power Lunch' to discuss the high cost of pickleball injuries.

Persons: Kavita Patel Organizations: NBC

☆ Pickleball could be responsible for up to $500 million in medical costs this year, one industry watcher says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They estimate that up to $500 million of medical costs in 2023 will be attributable to pickleball. A UBS analyst note estimated pickleball, which has been likened to a combination of tennis and ping pong, would be responsible for $250 million to $500 million of medical costs in 2023. One reason for the high medical costs associated with pickleball is the sport's demographic. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association's report estimated there were 8.9 million pickleball players above the age of six in the US; the Association of Pickleball Professionals estimated in January that there were 36.5 million pickleball players in the US. The UBS analysis estimated there would be 22.3 million pickleball players in the US this year.

Persons: pickleball Organizations: UBS, Morning, Fitness Industry Association, Fitness Industry, Association of Pickleball Professionals, Google Locations: pickleball

☆ Pickleball is bad news for health insurance stocks, UBS says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jesse Pound | In Jesse-Pound | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A sport that is making many older Americans more active could be backfiring for health insurance companies, according to UBS. Pickleball is a tennis-adjacent sport that has exploded in popularity since the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting millions of new players and celebrity investors . "After analyzing the growth in pickleball as well as the nature and frequency of related injuries, we conducted a bottom-up analysis of medical costs. In total, we estimate $250-500 mn of medical costs directly attributable to pickleball and see potential for greater medical costs indirectly linked to pickleball," the note said. All said, we estimate that pickleball medical costs could be driving 5-10% of the unexpected medical cost trend this year," the note said.

Persons: Andrew Mok, Goldman Sachs, Mok, UNH, — CNBC's Michael Bloom Organizations: UBS, Pickleball, Insurance, Medicare Locations: pickleball, UnitedHealth, Friday's

☆ What's next for BlackRock?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The biggest, and most obvious, change comes at the top, as BlackRock considers life without Larry Fink. The departure of Fink from BlackRock — a firm he's led since founding it with Robert Kapito in 1988 — is monumental in and of itself. But consider the state of affairs:Simply put, there's a lot going on these days at BlackRock. Insider's Rebecca Ungarino, our resident BlackRock expert, has a rundown of all the latest news at the massive money manager. More on everything that's happening at BlackRock as its CEO and cofounder considers his future.

Persons: Dan DeFrancesco, we've, Leonardo Munoz, don't, Larry Fink, Fink, Robert Kapito, Insider's Rebecca Ungarino, Todd Anderson, Christine McCarthy, Bob Iger, Iger, Gen, Jeffrey Cane, Hallam Bullock Organizations: Disney, Netflix, BlackRock, Getty, Barclays, Goldman, Mouse, Apple's, McKinsey, LinkedIn Locations: VIEWpress, BlackRock —, BlackRock, Hulu, London, New York

☆ Pickleball Diehards Are Choosing Vacations Based On Where They Can Play
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Tour companies catering to “picklers” have sprung up and are organizing pickleball-focused trips to other countries. Hotels and resorts make up a small but fast-growing percentage of the more than 11,000 venues registered with USA Pickleball, a spokesman says.

Organizations: USA

☆ ‘Pickleball Tourism’ Takes Off Across the U.S.—Enough With Museum and Beach Trips.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/pickleball-travel-find-courts-resorts-91b6ec18

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Some Travelers Look for Museums or Beaches. Others Just Want a Pickleball Court.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Allison Pohle | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Abandoned stores are coming back to life as pickleball courts, thanks to startups ready to cash in on the trend
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-12 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Pickleball courts are taking over old big-box stores and mall anchor tenants. This Richmond Macy's, which is located inside Regency Square Mall, is just one of dozens of malls, former department stores, and former big-box stores across the country being turned into pickleball facilities. Laaser said former anchor tenants like Macy's are perfect for pickleball, since they're "basically just big boxes" sitting empty inside declining malls. There's a 'gold rush' on indoor pickleball courtsAn indoor pickleball facility operated by The Picklr inside an old Staples store. It's led to an explosion in companies that make pickleball equipment and, more recently, dedicated pickleball facilities.

Persons: —, Jon Laaser, Richmond, Laaser, pickleball, It's, Steve Kuhn, Major League Pickleball, Pickleball, Kuhn, Jorge Barragan, Barragan, There's, liquidators, it's, we've Organizations: Service, Staples, Sports & Fitness Industry Association, Major League, Party City Locations: Richmond , Virginia, Regency, Richmond, pickleball, Arizona Mills, Tempe , Arizona, Utah, Colorado

☆ Swimply, the rental company of home pools, adds pickleball courts to its offerings
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Swimply is expanding its marketplace to offer pickleball court rentals. Pickleball courts are even starting to fill the vacant space left behind by retailers in malls. In Stamford, Connecticut, for example, Pickleball America plans to turn 80,000 square feet of a former Saks Off 5th space into 28 pickleball courts. The company has been rapidly building courts — as well as converting courts from tennis to pickleball — and now has more than 400 pickleball courts at its more than 200 golf and country clubs across the country. Swimply court rentals range from $25-$100 per hour.

Persons: Laskin, there's, There's, Linda Hwang, TPL, St . Louis, —, David Pillsbury, Pillsbury Organizations: CNBC, New, Day, Labor, Trust, Public, People Lab, Saks Locations: New York City, New York, Los Angeles, Bay Area, Houston, Austin , Texas, U.S, Sarasota , Florida, ., Stamford , Connecticut, America, St .

☆ The retail apocalypse left dead malls and shuttered big-box stores scattered across the US — now, pickleball is coming to the rescue
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pickleball courts are taking over old big-box stores and mall anchor tenants. This Richmond Macy's, which is located inside Regency Square Mall, is just one of dozens of malls, former department stores, and former big-box stores across the country being turned into pickleball facilities. The retail apocalypse that swept through brick-and-mortar stores over the last decade-plus left in its wake large, empty shells begging to be repurposed — now, entrepreneurial pickleball enthusiasts are coming to the rescue. Laaser said former anchor tenants like Macy's are perfect for pickleball, since they're "basically just big boxes" sitting empty inside declining malls. There's a 'gold rush' on indoor pickleball courtsAn indoor pickleball facility operated by The Picklr inside an old Staples store.

☆ The Joys of a Solo Bachelorette Trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Stephanie Cain | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Aja Dang-Puspos arrived to champagne and strawberries at her bachelorette celebration in July 2022 at the Civana Wellness Resort and Spa in Carefree, Ariz. Ms. Dang-Puspos, 36, a small-business owner and YouTube content creator based in Los Angeles, was excited about having a week of rest, self-care and indulgence. She had everything she wanted for her bachelorette, but it was missing one common element: guests. It was a solo bachelorette party. “I didn’t want anyone to ask me questions about what to do, where to eat, where to go.

☆ Billionaire Marc Lasry, who sold his stake in the Milwaukee Bucks, sees pickleball offering a better return than investment in the NBA
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marc Lasry said his investments in pickleball and other upstart sports leagues could offer a higher return than those in NBA teams. The co-founder of Avenue Capital Group bought a pickleball team with tennis star James Blake for $100,000 in 2021. He told Bloomberg TV that the team is now worth $10 million. The co-founder of Avenue Capital Group told Bloomberg Television he believes his investments in pickleball and other upstart sports leagues could offer a higher return than those in NBA teams. This year, the 63-year-old investor agreed to sell his 25% stake in the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team.

☆ Amazon Prime signs on to stream professional pickleball tournaments
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jessica Golden | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Amazon's Prime Video streaming platform announced on Tuesday it's signed a multiyear deal with the Professional Pickleball Association for global streaming rights to four live PPA Tour events per year, including the 2023-2024 PPA Tour World Championship Series. "When something has an explosion in growth, naturally it catches our eye," Charlie Neiman, head of sports partnerships at Amazon Prime Video, told CNBC. Connor Pardoe, CEO and cofounder of the Pro Pickleball Association, called the deal "monumental" for the burgeoning league. "We're always looking at content and making sure our offerings on Prime Video reflect our customers interests," he said. Earlier this month, the PPA Tour announced that ESPN will cover eight of the league's tournaments.

☆ Premarket stocks: What happens if the debt ceiling and banking crisis collide?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —President Joe Biden said over the weekend that debt ceiling negotiations were moving along and that talks between the White House and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy would resume on Tuesday. It may become more difficult to access credit, further exacerbating the challenges individuals and companies are already facing because of the banking crisis. Before the Bell: What do the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations mean to small and medium businesses? Do you think bank executives and members of the business community can put pressure on Congress and the White House to come to a deal? The White House has estimated more than 8 million jobs would get wiped out if there is a protracted default.

☆ Pickleball is replacing Bed Bath & Beyond and Old Navy at malls
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Pickleball is coming to your local mall, replacing shuttered Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy, and Saks Off 5th stores. Malls need new tenants to fill vacant spaces and draw customers beyond their traditional department store anchors and clothing stores. Backers of the game and developers are desperate to find vacant spaces to build courts. The Meadows at Lake Saint Louis, an outdoor mall, plans to fill the space once occupied by Bed Bath & Beyond with a pickleball club. A pickleball facility recently opened in a former Burlington store space at Shore Mall in New Jersey, and a pickleball club took over an Old Navy space at a New Hampshire mall.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: TikTok is transforming comedy, Microsoft’s futuristic doctor visits, and Elon Musk announces a new Twitter CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

My colleague Lakshmi Varanasi tested a buzzy AI service called Runway that can generate full videos from just a text prompt. She found that using Runway feels similar to using OpenAI's controversial Dall-E 2 or Stable Diffusion — impressive but not perfect. Check out the photos and videos Runway generated for her here. In other news:In a conference presentation, Andrea Barrett, a physician assistant and Nuance consultant, demonstrates products using generative AI. Elon Musk tweeted on Thursday that he's picked a new CEO for Twitter.

☆ It’s Tennis vs. Pickleball vs. Padel. Or Is It?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Christopher Clarey | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

SAN DIEGO — The official name of the facility is the Barnes Tennis Center, but once through the front doors, it quickly becomes apparent that it might want to consider expanding its branding. “What are you playing today?” a receptionist at the front desk asked of a father and his adult daughter dressed in what could pass for traditional tennis clothes. “Pickleball,” answered the daughter. “Have you tried padel yet?” asked the receptionist. “I hear it’s addictive.”Such conversations and choices, which have been standard in other parts of the world for several years, remain rare in the United States.

☆ Is Everyone Playing Padel Without Us?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Amelia Nierenberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

SANTIAGO, Chile — There are only a handful of places to play pickleball here in Chile’s capital. In its place, a padel court will rise. “There’s just not enough people for it to be a profitable business right now,” said Nicolas Flores, 34, a founder of the Chile Padel Academy, said. Pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, while padel (pronounced PAH-del) is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. If pickleball is Fahrenheit, padel is Celsius.

☆ At 6 Catskills Resorts: Retro Design, Modern Comfort and Games, Lots of Games
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Amy Thomas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Picture yourself on a sojourn in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Then again, with the variety of games on hand at nearly every one of the Catskills’ newest wave of stylish resorts, there should be more than one option that tickles your fancy. The influence of New York City, Brooklyn in particular, has been palpable in the Catskills — about 100 miles northwest of the metro area — for years. About a decade ago, indie hotels like the Graham & Co. in Phoenicia and Foxfire Mountain House in Mount Tremper imported urban cool to the country with their Moroccan poufs, Tivoli radios and linen bedding. It was where one of the country’s earliest resorts, ‌the Catskill Mountain House, made its home in 1824, followed by hundreds of others.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Free Apple AirTags, EV resistance, and ChatGPT Plus for all
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

I attended my first rodeo, woke up early for a farmers' market, visited different pickleball venues, and tried other new things. Researchers examined 1,600 conversations (850 hours and 7 million words total) and measured how people reacted to the interactions. Firstly, IRL conversations involve a degree of back-and-forth that is hard to replicate digitally because of lag and missed cues. Elon Musk pays $10,000 to settle a defamation lawsuit. Elon Musk has cut around 90% of the company within half a year of taking over.

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