“It’s kind of hard to treat people in an untoward way if you’ve been out on a pickleball court, on a mountain bike trail, spent time with them.”

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, regarding the bipartisan group of senators that gather once a week to participate in the Senate pickleball caucus. The sport has greatly expanded in the past several years; now there are an estimated 48 million Americans playing regularly. Tillis believes that the human connection can lead to better communication in politics. (NPR — Sept. 25, 20223)