Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>The explosive growth of pickleball has transformed it from a niche grassroots hobby into a global sporting phenomenon. However, its rapid expansion into urban public spaces has triggered unprecedented community resistance. Drawing on a computationally mined corpus of 2,622 media and institutional texts (2018–2024), this study investigates the spatial politics surrounding the sport's popularization. We introduce the concept of "acoustic gentrification" to theorize how the specific, high-decibel auditory footprint of pickleball acts as an invisible spatial boundary, disrupting existing urban soundscapes and encroaching upon the "right to quiet." Through semantic network analysis and sentiment tracking, we map the actor-network of the conflict (Residents vs. City Councils vs. Players) and reveal a profound narrative polarization: while industry and official bodies maintain aggressively positive rhetoric, mainstream media sentiment has plunged due to spatial friction. This study contributes to the sociology of sport by highlighting how acoustic intrusion facilitates spatial re-appropriation in the neoliberal city. Crucially, our findings suggest that mitigating this acoustic friction extends beyond sociological concerns, potentially serving as a significant factor in supporting the long-term sustainability and commercial integration of emerging sports.</p>