You are of course aware that attention spans are shrinking. YouTube -> Shorts, Instagram Reels, Tiktoks, etc have taken over the world.
You may be less aware that this is affecting real world business models.
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad Take a sad song and make it better Remember to let her into your heart Then you can start to make it better
I noticed a recurring pattern in some IRL businesses/hobbies that are doing well and replacing legacy incumbents. This is probably a mix of generational shift (boomer -> millennial -> zoomer) and genuine innovation.
Tennis/Squash -> Pickleball/Padelball
there are parallel Shorter Tennis and Shorter Squash movements:
Claude says: here's a comparison of tennis vs. pickleball match lengths:
| Aspect | Tennis | Pickleball |
|---|---|---|
| Single point duration | 10-30 seconds | 5-15 seconds |
| Match length | 1.5-3+ hours | 20-45 minutes |
| Typical game length | N/A | 10-15 minutes |
| Match format | Best of 2-3 sets | Best of 2-3 games (typically) |
| Games per set/match | 6+ games per set | 11 points to win (first to 11) |
| Rally length | Longer rallies (20-30+ shots) | Shorter rallies (5-10 shots) |
Here's a tabulated comparison of tennis vs pickleball learning timelines:
| Aspect | Pickleball | Tennis |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Competency | 1-2 weeks | 4-6 weeks |
| Intermediate Level | 4-8 weeks | 3-6 months |
| Ball Speed | 30-40 mph | 60-100+ mph |
| Court Size | 20 ft × 44 ft (880 sq ft) | 27 ft × 78 ft (2,106 sq ft) |
| Physical Demand | Low-Moderate | Moderate-High |
| Rally Length | 3-8 shots average | 8-20+ shots average |
| Ease of Learning | 7-8/10 (easier) | 3-4/10 (harder) |
| Injury Risk | Low | Moderate-High |
| Time to Intermediate Level | 4-8 weeks | 12-24 weeks |
| Time to Advanced Level | 6-12 months | 12-24 months |
Bottom line: Pickleball is roughly 2-3x faster to reach competitive enjoyment, requires 30-40% less physical demand, and has 60% fewer injury risks for beginners.
Golf -> Top Golf/Putt Shack
one thing that the Shorter Golf businesses (divvied up into driving vs putting) do is make Golf a good deal more social/fun. Put drinks in their hands, have seats for nonparticipant observers.
| Aspect | Traditional Golf | Topgolf |
|---|---|---|
| Session Duration | 4 - 5+ hours (18 holes) | 1 - 2 hours (timed bays) |
| Active Play Time | ~15-20% (walking/waiting) | ~80-90% (rapid-fire hitting) |
| Environmental Control | Outdoor (weather-dependent) | Climate-controlled (heaters/fans) |
| Ball Speed | 100% (Premium core) | 90-95% (RFID chip + hard cover) |
| Scoring Feedback | Manual (Scorecard) | Real-time (Proximity sensors) |
| Shot Consistency | Varied lies (Rough, sand, slope) | High (Flat synthetic mats) |
Bottom line: Topgolf delivers social enjoyment instantly vs. golf's 4-8 week on-ramp, costs $8-25/person/hr vs. golf's $40-150+/person/round, and compresses the experience into 60-90 minutes vs. golf's 4-5 hour commitment — removing roughly 90% of the etiquette, equipment, and scheduling barriers that make traditional golf intimidating for newcomers.
Surfing -> WaveHouse/WaveGarden
I have less personal experience with this but you know that surfing looks cool and yet is pretty boring with lots of paddling out and waiting. Well, we can Shorten that too:
| Aspect | Traditional Surfing (ocean) | WaveHouse (FlowRider / standing wave) | Wavegarden (wave pool / surf park) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session Duration | 1.5–3+ hours (tide/conditions-dependent) | 1 hour blocks are common (group sessions) (Tripadvisor) | ~55–60 min sessions are common at Wavegarden venues (Surf Park Central) |
| Active “Ride” Time | ~1–5% (mostly paddling + waiting for sets; depends on crowd) | ~60–80% (rapid turns, lots of reps) (depends on group size) (Tripadvisor) | ~20–40% (you get a defined number of waves; less “waiting for nature,” more “waiting your turn”) (Surfertoday) |
| Environmental Control | Weather + swell + tides; often cold/windy | Fully controlled water flow; indoor/outdoor venue | Controlled wave shape/frequency; still outdoors but “waves on demand” (Wavegarden) |
| Wave Consistency | Highly variable (that’s the whole romance + frustration) | Extremely consistent (same face every run) | Highly consistent; configurable “wave menu” + frequency settings (Wavegarden) |
| Wave Type / Feel | Real breaking waves; full lineup dynamics | Stationary sheet wave (more like board control + balance + tricks) | Real breaking left/right waves, repeatable; ride length often ~10–20s depending on setup (Surfline) |
| Feedback & Progress | Slow feedback loop (conditions change; fewer true reps) | Instant feedback (fall fast, retry fast) | Fast feedback (repeatable waves + measurable progression) (Wavegarden) |
| Scheduling Barrier | “Is it firing?” + travel + crowds | Book a time slot | Book a session; capacity + time slots (Surf Park Central) |
| Cost (order-of-mag) | Often “free” per session (after gear + travel), lessons add cost | ~$20/hr sessions reported at WaveHouse + small first-time fee (Tripadvisor) | Typical wave-pool sessions cluster around ~$129 avg in 2025; wide range by venue (Wave Pool Mag) |
misc analysis
It's interesting that the Shorter hobby businesses all draft off superstars in the legacy hobby, but make their vast majority of their money from people who will of course never come close to the level superstars - you'd still go to pickleball and talk Nadal vs Federer, you'd still go to Top Golf and make Tiger Woods jokes. it's great because as a business owner you don't even have to spend PGA money to just skim the bottom of the masses off of the elitist legacy incumbent, and yet benefit from the cultural trigger to go to do the thing.
so the big question
what else can you Shorten?
Volleyball?
Hangman?
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