I usually bring up badminton as a topic to others, friends, family, etc. It's the only way to promote the sport and gain popularity. I often even encourage others to join me and our group to play. I do my best to show that the sport is not only a real sport but one that requires strategy, stamina and explosiveness.
"Gay lady tennis"? Nope, not anymore Well, the missus wishes I wouldn't but I do Ask sometimes to encourage new/casual players.
One major reason could be that backyard Volleyball sets include badminton nets and racquets, leading to the net remaining at Volleyball height. So people think that the idea is to keep the bird up, whereas the rest of the world knows the object is to make the shuttle hit the floor (And they don't know it is an indoor sport). You can imagine the difficulty one would have smashing if the net were that high.
