While Americans were watching the Super Bowl, a Florida country club witnessed something straight out of a Jerry Springer episode.
A pickleball match at Spruce Creek Country Club in Port Orange turned into a massive brawl on February 9th.
Florida deputies responded to a 911 call about "over 20 individuals" throwing punches on a pickleball court.
The Kitchen Rule Sparked This Mess
The Sapienzas were playing doubles against another married couple when Anthony accused his opponent of stepping into "the kitchen."
That's the 7-foot restricted area near the net where you can't smash the ball down on people's heads.
The couples started screaming insults at each other while finishing the match.
When they walked off the court, Anthony allegedly yelled "Your wife is a c—" at his male opponent.
The husband told Anthony not to talk about his wife that way.
https://twitter.com/sjoseph_sports/status/2021685797154439390?s=20
Anthony punched him in the face and then hit him with a pickleball paddle.
Blood On The Court While Families Watched Super Bowl
The victim suffered significant bleeding from a cut above his left eye, according to the arrest affidavit.
EMS transported him to AdventHealth Hospital for treatment.
When the man's wife tried to help her bleeding husband, Anthony allegedly shoved her to the ground.
A 70-year-old bystander tried to break things up and got punched in the face.
That's when Julianne jumped in and started throwing punches too.
The panicked 911 caller told dispatch about 20 people were fighting, and when asked about weapons said someone hit somebody with a pickleball paddle in the head.
https://twitter.com/ChristieDedman/status/2021958773917839599?s=20
This Florida Couple Is Looking At Serious Felony Charges
Anthony faces two counts of felony battery on a person 65 or older plus aggravated battery causing bodily harm.
Julianne got charged with felony battery on a person 65 or older.
They both posted bond—Anthony at $4,500 and Julianne at $5,000—and have a court hearing scheduled for March 3rd.
Their attorney Matt Thompson hasn't commented publicly.
This isn't some isolated incident where one hothead lost his mind.
Pickleball violence has become a pattern nobody wants to acknowledge.
Nobody Wants To Admit What's Happening
Last November, Peter Shonk accidentally knocked a paddle out of his opponent's hand after winning a championship match.
The guy kicked him in the head.
At the Daytona Beach Open in December, pro player Mohaned Alhouni headbutted AJ Koller after their doubles match ended.
Up in British Columbia, some lunatic chased another player around the court with a glass bottle and beat him with it.
https://twitter.com/sjoseph_sports/status/2021685797154439390?s=20
A California retirement community had seniors throwing punches over Trump.
USA Pickleball just added rules to the 2026 rulebook allowing tournament directors to kick players out for violence.
They can now eject you for smashing someone with a paddle or trashing the facility.
You don't write those rules unless you've got a serious problem.
Here's What Nobody Saw Coming
Everybody loves pickleball because it's supposed to be this wholesome activity where neighbors actually talk to each other.
Doctors say it's great for your mental health and keeps seniors active.
Then it exploded from 3.5 million players in 2019 to 48.3 million by 2026.
Now you've got packed courts, long waits, and people losing their minds over line calls.
The kitchen violation—that 7-foot zone where the Sapienzas started World War III—causes more fights than anything else in pickleball.
It's a judgment call, which means nobody ever agrees, which means retirees end up swinging paddles at each other's faces.
Marcus Tran studies recreational sports and says pickleball hits this perfect balance between challenge and fun.
But that competitive rush turns ugly fast when some 63-year-old takes a Sunday match way too seriously.
The pickleball crowd keeps saying these fights are rare exceptions.
Meanwhile the rulebook just added ejection rules for violence and viral brawl videos drop every few weeks.
When your "friendly neighborhood sport" needs written procedures for kicking out violent players, you've got more than a few bad apples.
Sources:
- Orlando Silva, "Florida Couple Arrested After Huge Pickleball Brawl Unfolded On Super Bowl Sunday Involving Over 20 People," Outkick, February 12, 2026.
- Associated Press, "Pickleball brawl at Florida country club ends in couple's arrest, deputies say," WPLG Local 10, February 12, 2026.
- Bob D'Angelo, "Pickleball brawl: Florida couple arrested after game gets out of hand, deputies say," Cox Media Group, February 12, 2026.
- "Kitchen Violation Sparks Violent Pickleball Brawl in Florida, Paddle Used in Assault," The Dink Pickleball, February 13, 2026.
- "When a Pickleball Match Ends Violently, This Player Responds with Grace," The Kitchen, November 2024.
- "Why is pickleball getting violent?" Pickleball.com, 2025.
- "2026 USA Pickleball rulebook changes: Key updates for the new year," Selkirk Sport, December 22, 2025.
- Marcus Tran quoted in "Why Is Pickleball So Popular Suddenly Social Psychology Explained," Alibaba Product Insights, 2025.
