PUBLISHER ’ S PLAYBOOK
We are honored to feature Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald — one of the greatest NFL players of all time — on this issue ’ s cover .
Special thanks to Bruce Yeung , one of our contributing photographers , and his wife , Betty Yeung , for arranging the interview and photographing Larry on his home pickleball court .
Bruce , who is a professional sports photographer and covers the Arizona Cardinals and other pro sports teams , met Larry years ago at a fundraising event where they struck up a conversation about mutual interests such as photography and world travel . They also exchange friendly banter when playing ping pong and pickleball together .
Bruce explains that despite Larry ’ s celebrity and legendary status as an athlete , he is one of the most caring and kind people he knows : “ Larry always took time to greet people . During one of Larry ’ s big fundraising events , there was a boy in a wheelchair on the concourse level of the spring training ballpark , which is about 40 rows up from the field . Larry asked me to follow him as he climbed over the stadium wall into the stands and made his way up to the boy to sign an autograph for him and for me to take a photo of them for the boy . That boy , confined to his wheelchair , couldn ’ t make it down to the first row to ask for an autograph , so Larry went to him .”
In addition to his skill on the court , Larry also has an amazing memory . “ He remembers everyone ’ s name no matter if you are a CEO , celebrity or just a regular person ,” says Bruce . “ I introduced my family to Larry once at an event and months later he asked how my wife and kids were doing by their first names .”
To read more about Larry and his passion for pickleball , check out
Drew Wathey ’ s article , “ Gridiron Great Tackles Pickleball ,” on page 36 . See you on the courts !
Wayne Dollard Publisher
Launched in 2016 , Pickleball Magazine is recognized by USA Pickleball as the “ Official Magazine ” of pickleball . USA Pickleball is the national governing body for the sport of pickleball in the U . S . Pickleball Magazine offers tournament coverage , expert instruction written by professional players , rules , profiles of top pros , the latest equipment and more !
PUBLISHER Wayne Dollard
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
ART DIRECTOR Michael Miller
SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Laura Gainor
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jack Bandel Bob Borgia Rick Cipes Joe Dinoffer Morgan Evans Dr . Steven Feldman Laura Gainor Brandi Givens Alex Hamner Brian Kerr Wayne Kerr Jennifer Lucore Karen Mitchell Hana Papaco Patrick Perche Akul Ramayani Jeff Rausch Javier Regalado Dr . Noe Sariban Alice Tym Bob Unetich Drew Wathey
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Steve Taylor Bruce Yeung
Dollard Publishing Co ., Inc . publishes six issues of Pickleball Magazine per year . Subscriptions are $ 24 per year .
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