Badminton's heyday in the United States lasted a few decades in the middle of the 20th century. By the year 2000, the game had developed a reputation as more of a backyard pursuit rather than a serious sport. In recent decades, American players have struggled to compete on the world stage.
Origins
The modern sport of badminton developed from an ancient game known as battledore and shuttlecock, versions of which were popular in Greece, China and India. Colonial British settlers in India adapted the game and brought it back to British shores. From there, the sport spread to the United States and Canada. In 1878 the first badminton club in the United States opened its doors in New York. In those days badminton was considered a social pastime for the elite.
Expansion
Badminton's popularity spread across the United States in the 1930s via courts in YMCA gym clubs and colleges, according to USA Badminton. Hollywood icons such as James Cagney, Ginger Rogers and Bette Davis raised the game's profile further through their very public enthusiasm for the game. In 1936, the American Badminton Association was founded in an effort to create standardized rules and cross-state competitions. The following year the first ABA National Championships took place. The association joined the International Badminton Federation in 1938, establishing the United States as part of the world badminton community.
Champions and Decline
From the late 1940s to the late 1960s, American badminton players performed well in international competitions. A Californian named David Freeman won the All-England Championships in 1949, while Americans also took the mixed doubles title in the same competition. Americans accumulated a total of 23 titles over the next 20 years, including 12 in the women's singles category. In 1977 the first official badminton world championship took place. However, this event coincided with the beginning a slow decline in badminton in the United States. The United States didn't win another title in any world badminton competitions until the 2005 World Badminton Championships in Anaheim, California. The men's doubles pair of Howard Bach and Tony Gunawan defeated their Indonesian opponents to take the first ever official world medal for the United States.
USA Olympic Badminton
Despite the game's global popularity, badminton was not officially added as an Olympic event until Barcelona 1992. By that time badminton had soared in popularity in Asian countries such as China, leading to that country's overall domination of the sport. As of 2011, the United States has yet to win a medal in any Olympic badminton category.
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