Recently in Foshan, the weather has been a bummer; it starts raining around five or six in the afternoon, which really messes with our pickleball training schedule. Right now, we're back at school for training, and the coaching staff is pretty solid. There are plenty of outdoor courts and the vibe is great. The only downside is that the school doesn't have an indoor court yet—it's all outdoors, so when it rains, training is a no-go, which is quite awkward.

I've been mulling over this thought in my head: should I invest in setting up an indoor pickleball court? I've consulted some friends at local gyms, and overall, the costs are pretty steep, basically in the hundreds of thousands. Plus, the ongoing operations are a major headache. Even if things go well, it could take two to three years just to break even. If it goes south, there's a high chance of losing it all. And pickleball is still a niche sport with not many players, so scaling it up is tough.

Looking back at my own areas of engagement, even for us regular folks, just putting some cash into QQQ, without any hassle, nets at least a 20% annual return. From an investment standpoint, running a pickleball venue is really not a viable business. If you’re just looking to profit, this simply doesn’t stack up.

But, if we’re talking about hobbies, I really don’t want to rely on this pickleball venue to make a profit, nor do I see it as an investment. I'm just putting money in for the fun of it. That said, you definitely need to think seriously about how much you’re willing to invest without affecting your other trades. It’s cool to dabble a bit, after all, life’s not just about stacking crypto; there are hobbies and health to consider too.