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Backyard Games To Remain Popular Post-COVID

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In times of social distancing, how can we still connect with friends and play sports and games? We looked to Google Trends to find out which backyard games were more than just a COVID fad. We found that both cornhole and pickleball saw highs in search volume in the summer of 2020, and we predict that they will continue to trend up in 2021.

Pickleball

Pickleball had a spike in the summer months of 2020 and continues to rise in popularity through April 2021. According to Google Trends, the keyword “pickleball” had its highest search interest over the past 5 years in late April/Early May 2021. Users were mostly interested in the rules of the game and how to play. Some of the most popular pickleball keywords and questions were:

Keyword

April 2019

April 2020

April 2021

pickleball

246,000+ queries

201,000+ queries

550,000+ queries

what is pickleball

22,200+ queries

18,100+ queries

60,500+ queries

how to play pickleball

6,600+ queries

8,100+ queries

18,100+ queries

pickleball court near me

6,600+ queries

6,600+ queries

40,500+ queries

how to score in pickleball

320+ queries

390+ queries

880+ queries

Cornhole

Looking at Google Trends over the last 5 years, we’ve seen seasonal spikes for cornhole searches in the summer months. However, cornhole saw its largest search interest in June 2020. As of the end of May 2021, this trend looks like it will continue – and potentially even pass – the volume of searches that we saw in 2020.

Keyword

April 2019

April 2020

April 2021

cornhole

110,000+ queries

135,000+ queries

135,000+ queries

how to make cornhole boards

5,400+ queries

18,100+ queries

8,100+ queries

how to make cornhole bags

1,300+ queries

4,400+ queries

1,900+ queries

bean bag toss

12,100+ queries

14,800+ queries

9,900+ queries

custom cornhole board

8,100+ queries

12,100+ queries

14,800+ queries


Yard Games

Lastly, we found that people were searching for yard games in general, which may have led them to find cornhole or pickleball if they were previously unaware. Consumers were searching for any ways they could get outside and have some fun while social distancing. Some of the most popular keywords related to yard games we found were:

Keyword

April 2019

April 2020

April 2021

yard games

18,100+ queries

33,100+ queries

22,200+ queries

lawn games

9,900+ queries

14,800+ queries

14,800+ queries

backyard games

8,100+ queries

22,200+ queries

14,800+ queries

backyard sports

1,900+ queries

6,600+ queries

2,900+ queries

diy yard games

1,000+ queries

1,900+ queries

720+ queries

Game On

What may have started out as a socially-distant, at-home activity novelty in the summer of 2020 has progressed into a behavioral change. These backyard games and sports have taken on a life of their own as more people become aware of the fun that could be had in their own yards. Will this trend continue beyond 2021? We can’t say for certain; but as for this summer, the popularity of these backyard games is increasing.

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