grandkids — I ’ m there for them . And they go out and play pickleball , and all they care about is hitting the ball over the net . I go from ‘ OG ’ ( Old Guy ) to bro or dude within a half hour .”
BelAir , who discovered pickleball at 64 , found success in banking and investing and was on the cover of Money magazine in September 1984 . His book , “ How to Borrow Money from a Banker : A Business Owner ’ s Guide ,” was published in 1988 by the American Management Association .
BelAir ’ s prison proselytizing for pickleball attracted the interest of The Washington Post , which published a February 2023 article , “ Pickleball ’ s Latest Court ? The Prison Yard ,” by reporter Rick Maese . “ BelAir could feel the morning temperature climbing ,” Maese wrote , “ but this game , he was convinced , is a force of good , bridging gaps and offering life lessons . So here he was at the Sumter Correctional Institution , about 50 miles north of Tampa , talking to a few dozen inmates about pickleball .”
Among the readers of that article was California filmmaker Daniel Ostroff , who — ever on the lookout for ideas — knew a great story when he saw one . Ostroff reached out to BelAir about filming a documentary of his pickleball tour in prisons . The two agreed to meet for lunch .
“ I ’ d had other people approach me about doing a documentary , but Daniel ’ s for real ,” BelAir says . “ I didn ’ t want to make the mistake of going with somebody who would not be able to carry through .”
Ostroff is one of the producers of “ Dogtown and Z-Boys ,” a 2001 documentary about famous skateboarders Zephyr Z-Boys . The film , directed by Stacey Peralta and narrated by actor Sean Penn , won two awards at Sundance , the Audience Award and the Directing Award . Ostroff ’ s previous credits include Ron Howard ’ s “ Missing .” His latest movie , “ Menace ,” starring Isabel May , will be released theatrically in 2025 . Now , with his new documentary , “ Pickleball in Prison™ ,” Ostroff is on a mission to spread the word about BelAir ’ s work .
“ It kind of struck me that Roger had Vince Lombardi qualities ,” Ostroff recalls . That might seem like a stretch , since Vince Lombardi (“ Winners never quit and quitters never win ”) was one of the most famous football coaches of the 20th century , but one can see why Ostroff makes the comparison .
“ Roger chooses his words carefully ,” Ostroff elaborates . “ He ’ s very succinct . I liked what he says about neighbors : ‘ We know that 95 percent of these guys in prison will get out one day , and if I can make
Roger BelAir ( in green hat ) teaching his “ group hug ” to incarcerated individuals at San Quentin State Prison .
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