History

Joe Sobek is credited with inventing racquetball, though not naming the sport. Sobeck, a tennis pro and handball player was looking for a fast paced sport that was easy to learn and play. He designed the first strung paddle, devised a set of rules based on those from squash and handball and named his game, "paddle rackets". In 1952, Sobek founded the National Paddle Rackets Association, codified the rules, and printed rules booklets.

The new game grew quickly through Sobek's continual promotion of the game but was also aided by the estimated 40,000 existing handball courts across the country in YMCAs and JCCs which could be also be used for racquetball.

In 1969, with the help of Robert W. Kendler the president and founder of the U.S. Handball Association (USHA), the International Racquetball Association (IRA) was founded using a name coined by tennis pro Bob McInerny. That same year the IRA took over the National championship from the National Paddle Rackets Association. After a dispute with the board of directors of the IRA in 1973, Kendler went on to form two other racquetball organisations but the IRA has continued to be the dominant organising force within the sport, recognised by the US Olympic Committee as the U.S. national governing body.

It organised the first professional tournament in 1974 and is a founding member of the International Racquetball Federation. The IRA eventually became the American Amateur Racquetball Association (AARA) and then changed again in the later 1990s to the United States Racquetball Association (USRA). The USRA in 2003 then changed again to mirror other Olympic sports by changing its name to USA Racquetball (USAR).

Kendler used his publication ACE to promote both handball and raquetball, and aided by the fitness boom, the popularity of the sport surged with an estimated 3 million players in 1974. With the increased demand, racquetball clubs and courts were founded and sporting goods manufactures began to produce equipment specific to the sport. The growth continued into the early 1980s but declined in the latter part of the decade as fitness clubs converted court space to serve a wider clientele with aerobics classes and newer fitness machines. Since that time, the number of players has remained steady with about 5.6 million players.

Currently the International Racquetball Tour (IRT), Legends Tour, and Ladies Professional Racquetball Association (LPRA) deal with the professional aspects of the game. The game is televised a few times per year, with the biggest televised event being the US Open championships, held in Memphis, TN. In 2005, another grand slam event was added: Pro Nationals. This event is held each year in Chicago.