"You know what they call ping-pong in French? Le ping pong."

February 3, 2021 6:03 PM

Until now, you might've thought that ping-pong could not be wildly comic. You'd be wrong. Jacques Secrétin and Vincent Purkart.
posted by metabaroque (22 comments total)

As also with the Harlem Globetrotters, the comedic stuff almost distracts you from how these guys are REALLY GOOD.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 6:42 PM on February 3, 2021 [13 favorites]

I didn't know they'd played the Globetrotters. Link?
posted by flabdablet at 7:43 PM on February 3, 2021 [2 favorites]

What language is that? We guessed Dutch.
posted by matildaben at 8:00 PM on February 3, 2021

Yes, it's Dutch. Or maybe Flemish?
posted by col_pogo at 8:06 PM on February 3, 2021

I enjoyed the sudden appearance of new tables, each smaller than the last.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 8:07 PM on February 3, 2021

Until now, you might've thought that ping-pong could not be wildly comic.

You're joking, right?
posted by eviemath at 8:14 PM on February 3, 2021 [3 favorites]

Wow, those guys are fantastic. But having seen the folks at Pongfinity (youtube channel) , I know pingpong can be fun as well as a showcase of athletic talent. Here they are playing with 21 different household items instead of paddles (I'm assuming they would defeat me even if I had a real paddle and they were using a shoe.)
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 8:29 PM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

I didn't know they'd played the Globetrotters.

No, no, no, they played ping-pong, silly!
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:34 PM on February 3, 2021 [2 favorites]

Now you're just being silly. Everybody knows the Globetrotters are a foosball team.
posted by flabdablet at 8:56 PM on February 3, 2021 [2 favorites]

I was curious about the origin of the name Ping-Pong (vs. Table Tennis) and stumbled upon an unexpected source of info: Roger Ebert. It's a series of responses between readers explaining the etymology of the term and I found it enjoyable to read as it almost looks like its own kind of metafilter discussion:

https://www.rogerebert.com/roger-ebert/the-ping-of-pong-mystery-solved
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 9:37 PM on February 3, 2021 [4 favorites]

I wanted to also add this fun story that Jimmy Fallon recently told on the Graham Norton Show about playing ping-pong with Prince. If you love to hear stories about how enigmatic Prince was, give this one a watch.
posted by NotTheRedBaron at 9:41 PM on February 3, 2021 [4 favorites]

Heh, I didn't imagine ping-pong was its own genre of comedy. Thanks for brightening my day!
posted by Harald74 at 11:04 PM on February 3, 2021

If you love to hear stories about how enigmatic Prince was, give this one a watch.

That story doesn't read to me as Prince being enigmatic so much as Prince being an entitled, up-himself jerk.
posted by flabdablet at 11:25 PM on February 3, 2021 [2 favorites]

Apparently comedy ping-pong is a thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS3O0OOn0a0
posted by colophon at 11:50 PM on February 3, 2021 [1 favorite]

I highly enjoyed these videos! Thanks for helping me procrastinate =)

Also, thanks to NotTheRedBaron for the lesson in etymology! I'll take that as an authoritative answer to a question that I would've answered incorrectly.
posted by Metasyntactic at 2:24 AM on February 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

The Ebert story mentioned that Parker Brothers trademarked the term Ping-Pong. Actually, Jaques of London trademarked it, and later sold the trademark to Parker Brothers. This leads to why it's called Table Tennis. Much like Scrabble today, Parker Brothers wanted to control not just the equipment, but the rules as well, leading to associations using the name table tennis to get around the trademark.

Whiff-waff might have been an appropriate name given the original equipment, before the celluloid ball.

TIL Secretin passed away just a few months ago.
posted by MtDewd at 5:49 AM on February 4, 2021 [3 favorites]

Metafilter: If any of your readers had doubts as to the practical usefulness of a college education, surely my letter has helped to reinforce them.
posted by solotoro at 6:01 AM on February 4, 2021 [5 favorites]

w.c. fields
posted by 20 year lurk at 6:33 AM on February 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

No, the video is not in French.
posted by razbo at 8:59 AM on February 4, 2021

Yes, it's Dutch. Or maybe Flemish?

Yes, Dutch. The commentator is Philip Bloemendal, aka "The Voice of the Netherlands". His voice is as ubiquitous in post-war newsreel footage as that "In a World..." movie trailer voice is today.

His voice+ping pong=instant flashbacks to younger days (in black and white)
posted by fregoli at 10:16 AM on February 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Oh thank you for this.
posted by jessamyn at 11:42 AM on February 4, 2021

Recently came across the humorous globe-trotting Table Tennis ambassador Adam Bobrow.
posted by art.bikes at 3:14 PM on February 4, 2021