More Than a Game: The Heart Behind GoodGame Pickleball

I’m David Goodman, the founder and tournament facilitator behind GoodGame Pickleball, a Long Island-based initiative that brings people together through sport—but more importantly, through purpose.

While many come to our events for the love of competition, what keeps them coming back is something deeper: the community we’re building and the causes we’re championing together.

Every tournament we host is intentionally designed to do more than fill a bracket. We create space for storytelling, healing, awareness, and action. Whether we’re raising money for cancer research, shining a light on mental health, supporting individuals with autism, or helping local animal shelters, each event becomes a rallying point for compassion and connection.

These tournaments are where:

• Families play in honor of loved ones they’ve lost.

• Strangers become teammates and friends through shared values.

• Awareness is raised not just through words, but through movement, sweat, laughter, and togetherness.

We’ve seen firsthand how sport can unify people from all walks of life—how it can turn grief into purpose, and passion into generosity. That’s the spirit of GoodGame Pickleball.

Our goal is to:

• Give back to a community that has given us so much.

• Provide a platform where stories are shared and remembered.

• Create joy—even in the midst of life’s hardest challenges.

• And most of all, inspire action—because every paddle hit, every registration, every cheer from the sidelines helps us make a real difference.

GoodGame Pickleball isn’t just about winning on the court. It’s about winning for a cause—and walking away with something bigger than a trophy: purpose, unity, and the satisfaction of knowing you were part of something meaningful.

We’re grateful for every player, partner, and participant who’s joined us so far—and we’re excited for the many more who will become part of this movement.

Because in the end, we always have to say GoodGame..