Meet Roger BelAir: Pickleball Coach Who Taught the Sport in 4000 Prisons Across the United States

Roger BelAir was a banker, and the author of the book ‘How to Borrow Money from a Banker: A Business Owner’s Guide.’ His life completely changed around when he discovered pickleball at the age of 64. Six years ago, Roger was watching the TV with his wife one day when he got the revolutionary idea of teaching pickleball to inmates in prisons vowing to help turn around the lives of those serving jail time.

One jail visit led to another, and slowly but steadily, Roger BelAir has taught pickleball in more than 4000 prisons across the United States.

Such has been the journey of Roger that his novel work has been featured in the Washington Post, and a documentary featuring his tryst with pickleball and prison inmates is being made. California filmmaker Daniel Ostroff is the man on the mission to take BelAi’s work to the masses all over the United States.

The documentary named ‘Pickleball in Prison™’, will cover the philanthropic work of Roger BelAir, his love for pickleball, and how he is changing the lives of inmates in prisons.

As part of his pickleball revolution and the documentary being shot, Roger BelAir has taught the sport in San Quentin, the oldest prison in California which has been there since 1854. It turned out to be such a big success that not just the inmates, but the jail warden also became a fan of the sport.

“I think it’s important to have communication and direct contact with the outside while you’re incarcerated to remind us there’s life beyond these walls. Pickleball is something to keep your mind busy and get a little exercise and talk with others, meet new friends and enjoy something new,” one jail inmate told Pickleball magazine.

“Pickleball is also a pretty cordial sport. I don’t foresee any troubles in this game. And for somebody like me who doesn’t want any conflict, I think it’s a great way to get out some of that competitive energy in a positive way,” he added.