Ping-Pong Night!

It's actually not today... It's tomorrow. Then WHY am I posting it one day before? I don't know, why do you care anyways?

Now what could Table Tennis have to do with History? Absolutely nothing, but It's my blog, I don't go around telling you how to do YOUR job, unless of course you're actually working, then I might. But it's not because I hate you, it's because I love you and I want to better you. Or thats what I'll tell you anyways. And in any case, blogging is not an actual job so I'm pretty safe on that one too.

Anywho, Ping-Pong actually has a history.  The sport showed up around 1880s or earlier in England. Rich people would get together after dinner and makeshift anything from corks for balls and books for nets (why not the rackets I do not know. They're British) and pretty much anything that could be held in one hand as a racket, which actually brings light to the fact that kids today can't improvize better then even the richest rich of the 19th Century.  But thats totally out of topic and poor writing, so moving on, as more British subjects got drunk after dinner and arranged games of ping-pong, it grew in popularity, and, as any good British thing, some bastard had to capitalize on it during the industrial age (besides maybe tea, sorry tea!). 

Then comes in James Gibbs. He was a Ping-Pong enthusiast, and on a trip to the U.S, in 1901, he found novelty celluloid balls, and he found them to be ideal for the game, which brings the question, what kind of messed up things did Americans actually need celluloid balls for, and, why would the 1st thing you associate with celluloid balls when you discover them be ping-pong? I guess it was either that or the Brits invading America out of disgust, probably. Wise decision Mr.Gibbs. Anyhow, after that, E.C Goode invented the racket. I mean I'm sure I could elaborate, but the thing is a round stick with two rubber pads stuck in each side. It really isn't a technological breakthrough.

Skipping to 1921, The British, once again taking in every opportunity to claim a sport to their name (Soccer, Tennis, Table Tennis, Suicidal Charges into Russian Turret guns [Thats a sport right?]) created the TTA, Tennis Table Association. But since one isn't ever good enough, in 1926 they created the ITTF, International Table Tennis Federation. I'm sure it was just to put the word international in the same acronym as Table Tennis. Then in 1927, they held the 1st World Championship in London. In 1988, it turned into an Olympic sport. One that no one ever watched because it was excedingly IMPOSSIBLE TO WATCH A 38 MM BALL FLY AT 80 km/h OR MORE ON A TV(Also because the rubber cover was getting thicker, hence increasing the speed of the ball, as well as other things)!

So what did the ITTF do to change this? Recently (the 2000's) they changed the games rules so it is actually watchable. Kind of. The ball width was changed to 40mm,  limited speed sponge thickness, and changed the game from 21 points to 11, as well as not allowing to hide the ball on serve anymore. Doesn't sound like much? Well watch a 1992 Olympic Ping-Pong Tornament video and a 2008 one.

Nope, I can't tell the difference either. Why would you watch Ping-Pong anyways? You creep.

Now if you actually read a whole article about ping-pong history and me ranting about absolutely nothing at some points, kudos to you. I wouldn't have.