Behind the Show: Michael Kosta's Pickleball Takedown

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Wow.

Hi, I'm Michael Costa, Daily Show correspondent, an intrepid journalist. But this story is not about me. It's about him. Michael Costa, former professional tennis player once ranked eight one hundred and sixty four in the world, because right now there's a serious threat to tennis enthusiasts like him slash me. I'm talking about pickleball and it needs to be stopped.

Hi, and welcome to the Daily Show Ears edition. This is Stacy Angeles, segment director for The Daily Show.

Today.

I'm joined by Daily Show correspondent and the former eight hundred and sixty fourth ranked tennis player in the world, Michael Costa.

Welcome, good job, good energy from you. How we doing, Stace, I'm.

What I'm doing great? How are you doing?

Let me read to you the first YouTube comment on our pickleball piece.

I never read those.

I know, I know, but here you'll see why I'm reading this.

Okay.

In all fairness, being ranked eight hundred and sixty four in the world is extremely impressive. Your mom, I don't know who wrote that, but mom, that is funny. That of the whole six and a half seven minute piece, that that's the thing that they're commenting.

I just like that We've been trying to actually squeeze that. You have been ranked eight hundred and sixty four.

In the world in every piece, every piece, and it always gets cut.

Nobody cares. I care.

Well, let me tell you this. I was expecting there to be a lot of internet back and forth about our pickleball piece.

And guess what, I was right, Yeah, because when this this was like two years in the making, and when you first pitched it, it was super like hot off, like all these hot off the present.

It was hot off, all these fresh fights. Especially the big one that drew me to the story was in the West Village, which is like such it's already such like one of the most expensive, snooty neighborhoods in New York. But the fact was there were there were picklers, keen cars. They were wearing and this is the one where it's like coverer that they were wearing anti tennis shirts.

Oh my god, and you had it.

Hold on, I'm throwing up.

So then, so you can.

Tell your your pitch, because obviously this was something you were passionate about from the beginning. And I could even I can even imagine your face when you're reading the first article about this invasive pickleball sport taking home.

I'm not sure I completely remember the pitch of my first pitch, but I do remember that it was about this country has never been as divided, right, that whole.

Thing during during the war, the part when wars are breaking out.

Yes, it was like Russia, Ukraine, Trump, Biden, and it was like I wanted multiple news clips of like, the country has never been this divided, the tensions are rising, you know, civil war, blah blah, and then it was going to be about pickleball tennis, which I still think would be better than what we did. Fuck well, I.

Think my original pitch would have been better, but I did, like I saw your your personal story just oozing out of your pitch and your your passion, and it clears like this was this was a pitch that was probably

And I did like a balletic leap, like can you do this? Just like because I was.

Envisioning this, you know, you doing Man on the Street and then leading a couple of people on your side of tennis players and then you breaking out into a dance, and then when.

You're at you're a net.

But I mean, maybe it's convening.

But I do want to tell our listeners, all seven of them, right now, that this is what is unique and great about the Daily Show in that I can pitch and then segment director comes in and she brings her spice to it. Now doesn't always mean you want that spice. I didn't want West Side Story, even though I think it's funny.

I think that you don't always know the spice you want, and then when you try it, you're like, give me some more. And I've been pitching musical ideas since I started, and they've all been rejected.

Except for the opening in Chicago, where we did a fair spy apparently.

Yeah, but it wasn't a musical parody. I'm talking like tap dancing. Yeah, it's this, I felt like was the closest I was ever going to get but rejected.

It's fine.

Well let's talk about this in all seriousness because this piece, unlike a Southern Border piece, a voter suppression piece, there was there was more room for us to play because the stakes really aren't that high, right, Yeah, I mean I I peeling back the curtain too much.

No, No, there's this.

This is a This is a field piece where the stakes are higher than any other field piece that the show has ever done, where people you know, it's.

It was really fun to do a piece and you're the perfect segment director for this. I mean, this is a compliment where we were free to be creative and weird and go get some twins who play pickleball and then throw a temper tantrum and you know, do some really weird stuff. The piece you know that I'm thinking of recently I did down on the Southern Border in Eagle Pass, Texas. You know, there's there's a lot, there's a lot less room. Yeah, you just have to kind of find you a little.

I gravitate towards these pieces where you don't have to do much homework, you don't have to be as smart. You know, you can like you and I have done some pieces where I'm like, oh, I got to know the statistics. I gotta know the facts if we interview smart people, because if they say some singers, I'm.

Gonna be like, but pickleball, It's like you don't.

That's why I always try to And I mean, yes, those piece are important those times you have to do homework for. But when everything's so tense and serious, it's so nice to have like just a fun one that you can go like nuts with.

And is actually culturally relevant. It is because everywhere you go you see pickleball and pickleball courts and someone tells you about pickleball and blah blah blah. It reminds me of like a diet fad pickleball, like everywhere you go it's like I'm doing the paleo or I don't need sugar anymore. It's like everywhere I go they got it some I was just in Blooded, Indiana. Someone had to talk to me about pickleball. You know, it's just like it comes out of nowhere and yeah.

Well we were you.

You had some jokes in there where it came with COVID. That's when it just blossomed and blew up and then it was contagious like COVID. Right, you had some really good analogies there that got cut.

They got cut. Let's talk about our guests.

Yeah, there was a lot of names getting pasted in the beginning. Mm hmm. And uh, first we were saying mark Tina Navachlova because she had that tweet about get your own courts pickleball players.

Yep, and you've you've interviewed Billy jen King before you've had her.

I love Billy jan King so much, but you threw out a lot of names, and I think I probably did pitch Billy Jing King and it was it wasn't really like a tie to pick a ball. I just picture for every single thing I do. But you you threw out some names, and I was like, oh, I'll go to Shauna and Beth, you know who booked talent, the bigger talent. And then they they're like, oh, yeah,

Just send him a text. And I was like, Wow, your rolodex is so much better.

Than my phone. Sometimes you can help when like me, sometimes I can help. Sometimes I can't help, and that in this case I could help. And you know what we we know what we really wanted and what I really wanted and what we got with Patrick McEnroe was someone who wasn't gonna wasn't gonna tiptoe. I love that he came with it. Again, it's not real stakes here, so he can say, get get your own courts. And my fear with Billy jing King, who I love, who's changed sport for the better.

Don't don't you dare worried she's she's.

She can be diplomatic, So I was worried she wasn't going to really bring the heat against pickleball, which you're not.

Some of your athlete brings the heat. She I was kidding. I just I literally just picture for everything, even if it's a beat spout guns, and I knew he has opinions.

Billy jing King about this semi automatic high capacity magazine.

Yeah, I feel like she has an opinion on everything.

I would ask.

Yes, she's an excellent, excellent personality. No, we got Patrick and he was excellent professional. I read his book twenty years ago he signed the book for me, so that's cool.

Yeah.

He was great because he also knew how to play like games with us. He was fun and down to like ship on a sport that he's also played in.

But he's also you know, he's also one of an activity.

But he's also like one of the best tennis players. Do I keep calling this sport?

Sorry?

It's like I can you just edit it?

Also doesn't know, I'm just being a tennis purist.

I love that.

A tennis purist.

Yeah, yeah, talk to me about the other guests we had.

So we were looking into other people who were at the root of some of these turf wars, and we researched and stumbled upon this guy, Albert the Pickleball Doctor.

One person who needs to take that note is this guy. He may look like a yodler on a bike, but don't be fooled. Every morning he electronically pedals his little pickleball bike to set up his little pickleball nets on our turf.

And he's known as Albert the Pickleball Doctor. Why do you think that pickleball deserves to overtake a tennis court.

I think you guys have too many tennis courts.

He was causing a lot of problems because he was obviously drawing the pickleball courts on the tennis courts, and then people would be lining up wanting to play, and he was having he was taking precedents, but it's like, you don't know in those courts, right, you can't just calm Just because you get up at five am, right and paint your pickleball lines doesn't mean you can. So we thought he would be a good interview.

There is something really strange about the pick a ball community that has this kind of entitlement to it.

It's like when.

We're trying to get that's what we're trying to get at a little bit.

Yeah, it's like this is a dumb example, but like when you're little and I'm one of five kids, you're one of four kids, when you like fight to get the front seat and you're like, shotgun, it's mine now for the rest of our childhood.

Right, That's a great example, and it's always annoying. Someone's always going like shotgun, like you haven't even decided you're going to go anywhere yet, And it's like that's what pickleball feels like to me. Yeah, yeah, just relax and you'll get you. We're gonna get there.

You don't.

You don't get awarded because you're a nerd that wakes up at three am and just you know.

No.

So we got him.

And then the icing on the cake was he happened to have identical twin brother.

I mean, this piece, it kept hitting you over the head. It kept hitting you over the head like an overhead, like an Aaron overhead. I did.

I did love You had a lot of jabs at his expense that got cut. Yeah, where you were calling him like yeah, And it was funny because like you and what I loved about it was like you and Patrick were taking shots at each other. You had a good shot at him, but it didn't make it. But you guys were hurling into all.

You know, it is true, a lot of my good shots don't ever make it. I think it's because the people don't want me to seem like an asshole. But it's like, and that's.

Why you weren't eight hundred and sixty three in the world. Yeah, Well, he was like going a little bit heavy. And then you said, how does it feel to be the second

But you just try it? You want me to try pickle ball? You know what that means to be eight hundred and sixty four in the world in tennis. It means I'm the number one pick a ball player right now. Why don't we do a little head to head how about that?

Okay, I'm gonna whoop your butt.

Can you beep that? I'll see your geriatric ass in the kitchen? Okay, it's dink time, baby. You know, it is a little unfair when a daily show personality comedian is talking to like a doctor who plays pickle ball, and you get into a verbal comedic jab that's not his world. Yeah, but you could tell. With Patrick, the highly competitive athlete who has made the semi finals of the Australian Open and as wins over Boris Becker, you could tell he knew how to dish it out too, which was fun.

Yeah.

I mean I remember a couple of notes they were like, oh, we feel like this my be too mean, and I'm like, they're athletes. That's part of the game, you shit talk, yeah, and so I go, it's not mean. These are like nice actually, and it's all it's all in fun. It's like, again, this isn't like a a it's a piece about pickleball.

Yes, exactly exactly. It's how you say I love you.

You can give them a little, but I'll dig I will say I'm going to give a shout out to one of the stylists that helped on the shoot, Jacqueline, when the twins came. When they arrived, I don't even know if I knew they were identical until I saw them, like matching glasses, same hairstyle, everything. And at the last minute I was like, hey, can you go out and

You know what, thanks for bringing up wardrobe because my eight sixty four headband was sick. Yeah, my eight sixty four shirt. Yeah, my I should also be noted. And you'll see in the opening segment of this piece and in the pickleball playing piece, I had a freshly double herniated disc during this piece, that's right, and my left leg is limping while I do my open which apparently no one else knows that. I noticed.

You were like Carrie Strug in the Olympics when she injured her ankle and then still managed to win the team gold medal.

You had.

I was about to use that exact example.

I know.

That's I felt like I was witnessing rateness.

When Carrie Strug ran and did the vault. That's how I felt in my opening segment, Yeah, the long walk for that.

Yeah, and unlike Carrie Strug, you didn't cry. Yeah, where's your eight hundred and sixty four uniform?

Is that?

Did you try to do it?

I know?

Where was the Hall of Fame? As sports Hall Fame.

There's probably some homeless guy in the sea train right now wearing an eight hundred and sixty.

Four a three D shadow box frame that you put it and hang it in your apartment.

I'm proud of my world ranking. I'm never going, never, not going to be proud of it.

I know we make fun of it, but that is impressive.

That's what the guys YouTube. Was it your YouTube comment? I don't know, No, I'm just kidding.

Okay.

So when we found out that Doctor Pickle, Doctor of Pickleball had a twin brother, you obviously.

Needed a partner.

Yeah, who was your first choice? You know what?

I got my own sacred weapon. Ronnie Ronnie Ronnie? Why what's going eh? Where the pickles? We're playing pickleball? You said?

And for his double's partner, Costa has Ronnie Chang, who seems to have been tricked into being here.

That makes two of us. Certainly wasn't anybody on this staff. It was probably just a friend of mine or something. You know. Yeah, I don't remember who my first choice. You know what? I remember when it was revealed to me that Ronnie Chang would be my partner. I was happy, but I was hesitant because the last time I did a piece with Ronnie Chang was thank me later about the guy who got nun chucks unillegalized?

Did you say numb?

I said numb? Chucks, but they're nun chucks.

Come on.

That was part of the joke and the piece, and all of a sudden, it was like Ronnie's going to join you on your piece, and all of a sudden he's like this kung Fu master and I'm a big dumb, fucking idiot, and Ronnie's like kicking my ass, and I'm like, I don't want Ronnie coming to here stealing the pick a Ball show. But it was a good addition. He was generous with his time.

I'm going to steal the show. He's not ranked in tennis.

No, exactly. No, I wasn't worried he was going to steal the show. I wanted to make sure all parties had read the pitch and were aware of what we were doing.

Well, Ronnie never reads the pitch. Yes, he asked me questions while shooting.

Correct, That's what I'm saying.

But I knew he I suggested him because I knew he had gotten into pick a ball and he does.

Yeah.

Him and his lovely wife Hannah, they like are I think they're like they're involved in tournaments. They're like a power pick a ball couple. But all he was working on his form and taking it seriously.

But also, and please keep this in. I'm serious what I'm about to say. Don't edit this out. This is what drives me fucking crazy about pickleball. Ronnie talks to me about pick a ball as if he's like a racket skilled player, and then when you play with him, he's terrible. His grip on the backhand is so bad. His forehand is so bad. He doesn't know his pancake. Dude. You see him on the serve. He's doing like this pancake thing.

That's literally like, oh, we need to have a pickleball.

This is my whole problem is with pickleball is that people who play this little checkers game, they enter what they believe is a highly competitive field and they don't know what the fuck they're talking about. So boom, it feels the podcast is over. Well, mic drop, but it's not a swing arm.

So sorry, Roddie. I did rally with him in between takes, and I beat him. I'm just saying, that's what I'm saying to That's what I'm saying.

Playing tournaments with my spouse, that's what I'm saying.

I played with old people during COVID, but it.

Is a good social sport, much more social than tennis. Tennis gets way too up its own ends.

Well, this is the thing that's funny to me about the war between pickleball and tennis. They're both pompous sports that are dominantly white people. And it's not like badass Like I get why fights break out in physical contact.

It's not even physical like your injuries are what did you have? Psiatica? And that's not a pickle but no.

You know what I mean, a contact sport.

Yeah, and the fact that they're keen cars and smack talking and doing all this like this.

Those are pickball players, by the way, Yeah, yeah, No, Tennis has.

A little bit of elitism into it.

Tennis has a long aristocratic elitist attitude about it. Country club, I strongly agree. I strongly agree with you. I believe Arthur Ash and Serena Williams. I mean, it's Williams and might disagree with your white people comment.

Okay, dominant dominantly are you gonna are you gonna say it's not dominantly white athletes?

No, I'm in support of you because also part of the reason that this Williams sisters and Arthur Ash were so groundbreaking is they had to fight through all that elitist white.

Also, they made the sport more popular, of course less white athletes. That's the point of this podcast. I can say that because I'm half so that.

You can really wear that with a badge of oh yeah, I have to are you kidding? I am thankful the Daily Show did the pick a ball piece. It was a long slog to get here, and I'm glad that you were the segment director on it. Oh thanks, and it was fun to do.

That was that sounds like he was wrapping this up. Try one thing that got cut. That really supports your point in that it's not a sport. You can't get a scholarship for it, it's not in the Olympics, and they act like this is the most important sorry hobby, I'm not gonna I was about to say sport.

So I think the fact that they.

Don't have any of that level of you know, acknowledgment or recognition, I think that wins the argument.

Well, but in defense of pickaball, they would say that's all coming, that's all coming. I mean, I mean, you can get you can get a bowling scholarship Division one NCAA Bowling Scholarship.

You know, well, actually I did hear that.

There's it's actually it's actually going to be. There's going to be a pickleball tournament in the Billy Jing King Center, who I love.

Tram pulling her name. Sorry, no, I mean here, it's going to be.

It's gonna be. Wait. This is kind of crazy because it just shows how.

It is blowing up bigger and bigger, even though we thought when it aired, We're like, this should have aired two years ago, but it does keep popping up in the news. This very week, the Billaging King Center is going to hold a televised, over six days pick aball tournament where the grand prize is one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

That's great, Is it great?

I mean it's not at tennis money yet, but but it is. It is a very quick growing sport. There is a lot of money in pickleball. My prediction is it's going to taper off very soon, but I could be wrong. You know, it could be the racquetball. Handball, I mean, handball is a thing.

You know, say it's going to taper off, but it's the championship is going to be played in Arthur ash Stadium.

How does that sit with you?

I think it's an atrocity to the sport. I think Arthur Ash as a diplomat, as an athlete, as someone who broke racial barriers. If I was in charge of Arthur Ash's estate, I would try to burn this tournament to the ground. Do you understand what I'm saying? Can I be more clear?

You? You would? Yeah, you want to burn Arthur ash Stadium down in.

The name of Now my big issue with pickle ball is the participants twoed You know what it reminds me of. You know how all these stupid fucking American breweries have to make like such a hazy ipa yes, And it's like, hey, dude, we know you don't really know how to brew beer, and you're just throwing a bunch of hops in this shit to hide the fact that you can't make a six hundred year old German lagger recipe because it's hard to do that. That's what I equate to pick up.

Oh, I thought you were talking about something else. Now, okay, but I have one question. Yes, would you do a commentary on pickle ball if they asked you.

I've been asked. I've been asked and I said no. I also wasn't available. I don't. I don't hate the sport. I don't who sport?

Oh, yeah, I don't.

I don't hate the activity. I just wanted to remain separate from the sport I love the most, which is tennis.

Yes, And did you play tennis?

I did?

I was.

Let's tie it back. He had a career high of eight hundred and sixty four in the world in singles.

Also, nobody wants to end this more than I do. But I will say one piece that got cut was you promoting your you're you're an author?

What was your book?

One hundred and one Ways to Win More Tennis Matches?

And then Patrick McEnroe that wrote a book.

That's right called Hardcore Confidential.

And between the two, I feel like, what was what was his top ranking twenty?

I think he was twenty two in the world.

At one point, I know there was a two. I thought it was like twelve or so.

No, he was fucking high.

So between eight hundred and sixty four in twenty two.

He's eight hundred and twenty two places higher than me forty two forty two places two. Sure, all right, great job. Everybody, thank you, but that was stop.

I know I'm giving it because they're going to cut to the scene. I'm trying to give a little something to cut to. Ith God, this guy Jesus. No, there was a scene where you present your probably present your book and turns out he wrote a book as well. And I actually enjoyed that scene because you are both top tennis athletes. Yep, you both wrote books, and I thought that was a lot of fun.

And it got cut.

It got cut, so we're all that clip. I really appreciate you sitting down and answering some of these hard hitting journalistic questions. And as an appreciation, I got you a copy of my book one hundred and one Tips for Winning More Tennis Matches, autographed to my friend. Hopefully there was some good tips in there for you. Thanks again, man, wellppretiate. Oh God, I'm really glad you brought this for me. I had no absolutely no idea.

But this is a book that I wrote about my years on tour.

All right, I've got some of those in it too.

Yeah, at the highest level, highest level. So that's for you, Michael. Maybe you'll learn a couple of things. I hope you like my hardcover book. Michael, you probably have one this and hardcover. Right.

There was a tree shortage or something. Sure, Michael, how many tips does your book have?

Considerably more than one hundred and one? Okay, yeah, you want to keep your momentum moving through the volley.

Huh, that's right. I wants something you can't do. That's death genius. Let's go play some pickle.

Thank you for joining us, and thank you for listening to The Daily Show air's edition. This has been Stacey Angele's and Michael Costa.

Thank you. Stacy.

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