I like the Kat Rosenfield articles which bring a different perspective and are a relief from other topics. I had enjoyed watching the Olympic table tennis. I was amazed at the speed and reflexes of the players and think I was following the ball - but who knows. In tennis it is much easier to follow the ball if your seat is at the end of the court. Ditto in baseball behind home plate. Clearly the players in ‘ping-pong’ can follow the ball.
I was surprised by this column, perhaps it was meant to be a satirical piece.
Golf is an Olympic sports. The ball is white and about the same size as a ping pong ball. It also travels pretty fast. Badminton is another Olympic sport where the white shuttlecock is small and the speed and agility of the players are similar. There is little question in ping pong who is hitting the ball as the players are on different sides of the table. Regardless, from one subscriber's perspective, I really enjoyed watching the ping pong competition.
I see in eight years, maybe even four, when the next great Olympic event will be Watching Paint Dry. Three opponents will each be given sixty seconds to paint as much of a wall next to them as they can in the allotted time. Then sitting back while highly-paid announcers comment on the extent to which the paint is drying. The competitor whose paint is completely dry first wins the Gold Medal. The second and third, Silver and Bronze respectively. Why only three? Remember, everyone has to take home a trophy.
We need Forrest Gump. I can appreciate this piece and it exemplifies why there are so many different interests in the Olympics. These days you can literally turn the channel to something that floats your boat. These athletes are amazing and I can find something to appreciate in every sport. I am not a soccer person and watching the game bores me but I can appreciate why so many folks live and breathe it. Thank you for your perspective. Back in the day you only saw the big three on TV. Swimming, Gymnastics and Track & Field. The exposure ,to what some my see as insignificant, can change these athletes life with sponsorships etc... Is Cornhole an Olympic sport? The sight of the chalk puffs perks me up. I watched Archery for the first time this year... can't wait for the break dancing.
Yes, a lot of people are enjoying table tennis. You just need to know how to appreciate the game. If you literally cannot see the ball then you probably need a better TV or glasses or both.
I love you, Kat, but you're so off base in this piece that I actually feel sorry for you. I'm speaking here as both a competitive table tennis player and thrilled watcher of competitive table tennis. (Ping-pong, btw, is the benighted diminutive--the Parker Brothers attempt, many years ago, to trademark the game and tame it for backyards. You've insulted my tribe AND gone corporate without realizing it.) Table tennis, to begin with, is the most popular indoor game in the world. That fact alone might gain it a little respect. As any tournament player knows, it's a melting pot par excellence. The best players in the world, historically speaking, are the Chinese and the Swedes. Jan-Ove Waldner, the Swedish star of years gone by, is a thrilling player known for impossible shots made with consummate aplomb. Because table tennis favors lightning-fast reflexes, younger players often find themselves competing at the highest level, but the game has simultaneously always had a fondness for older players, grey foxes, who've got all the tricks and who know how to foil the best-laid reflexes. Marty Reisman, who I saw once at the table tennis club on Broadway at 96th Street, was the master. For the player, table tennis is an especially demanding discipline. But it lends itself, in a way that tennis simply does not, to a kind of one-upsmanship and showmanship. I'm thinking here about two of my teachers back in the day, Atanda Musa, the greatest player ever to come out of Africa; and Wally Green, a black New Yorker who combined a hip-hop attitude with serious German-honed skills. Olympic table tennis, of course--and notice, I'm not using the patronizing diminutive--is a subset of tournament table tennis, which is itself a subset of serious table tennis, often for money, that guys like Wally Green and Marty Reisman embody. Here's what I do know: if you spend a couple of hours with a great coach, being instructed in the basics, and then watched that coach--Musa or Wally, or the great George "the Chief" Braithwaite, former olympian and one of my coaches back in 2000-2002--battle another player, up close, you'd suddenly get it. You'd get why those of us who play the game seriously just love it to death. You'd begin to appreciate just what it takes to serve, and return, at the highest level. You'd feel the burn, and the innovation bred by desperation, of the serious tournament player seeking to stay alive in the point. You'd get it. You'd know who Danny Seemiller is, and why an aging schmo like me would travel to South Bend, Indiana to spend five days at a clinic put on by the former US champ. Start with Wally Green. I love the guy. He was a great coach. He taught me a lot. There's a deep, rich story here. I think you've missed it. But we love you anyway--and know that we could get you into the tribe, if you gave us a chance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP1_GjFJZKo
One of the truly great things about the Olympics has always been the world expanding aspect of it.
It would be odd if everyone liked everything.
And everyone is not America.
I spent a few months in China in 1982, and table-tennis / ping-pong was everywhere, and lots of people played.
The same with basketball.
I played both, I thought fairly well in the US. I couldn't beat anybody in ping-pong, but in basketball I might as well have been the NBA - of course I was young, athletic, and a foot taller than everybody.
So you never know.
You would have to pay people in Alabama to watch biathlon - but it's one of the most popular TV sports in Europe.
The variety is one of the great things about the Olympics.
Who knew there even was a thing called team fencing - but there I was yelling at the top on my lungs for the US to touch, or win, or whatever one is supposed to call it.
Except of course synchronized swimming, which is amazing, but kinda silly - no?
What will they think of next? Olympic tap dancing or break dancing?
Yes it is, and I'm glad that you know that. Some of us--tournament players--use the diminutive anyway, but we know what the sport is called. Not everybody does.
Some of this might be due to NBC’s coverage of the Olympics outside of basketball, soccer, and women’s gymnastics - which is atrocious - but a lot of it seems to be unfamiliarity with the game.
Perhaps reaching out to someone other than a fellow journalist who claims to enjoy the sport, one could have reached out to an actual athlete for insight or, even better, played a bit of the game itself before judging.
Yes, ping pong is not a particularly strong spectator sport - but this is a very weak article. NBC- level Olympic coverage.
Sometimes I have to read the comments to understand other people’s perspectives (why is it so polarizing that you would disable comments rather than just mute individuals? Could it have been a MISTAKE ? I am now curious how often this happens)
I went to the home page for FP and reviewed every article (showing) for every writer. They post the number of comments for each article. This is the only one which closed comments after one comment on the same day of publication. From my naive/quasi-libertarian perspective the simplest explanation is that it is a mistake.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. I tend to see this happening more when people have a liberal point of view, not being able to "handle" words so they just disallow them. It's not OK. Taking me back to the Covid days when SCIENTISTS who didn't tow the line were censored or mocked. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has an entire podcast dedicated to this very phenom.
I like the Kat Rosenfield articles which bring a different perspective and are a relief from other topics. I had enjoyed watching the Olympic table tennis. I was amazed at the speed and reflexes of the players and think I was following the ball - but who knows. In tennis it is much easier to follow the ball if your seat is at the end of the court. Ditto in baseball behind home plate. Clearly the players in ‘ping-pong’ can follow the ball.
I was surprised by this column, perhaps it was meant to be a satirical piece.
Golf is an Olympic sports. The ball is white and about the same size as a ping pong ball. It also travels pretty fast. Badminton is another Olympic sport where the white shuttlecock is small and the speed and agility of the players are similar. There is little question in ping pong who is hitting the ball as the players are on different sides of the table. Regardless, from one subscriber's perspective, I really enjoyed watching the ping pong competition.
Dave T.
I see in eight years, maybe even four, when the next great Olympic event will be Watching Paint Dry. Three opponents will each be given sixty seconds to paint as much of a wall next to them as they can in the allotted time. Then sitting back while highly-paid announcers comment on the extent to which the paint is drying. The competitor whose paint is completely dry first wins the Gold Medal. The second and third, Silver and Bronze respectively. Why only three? Remember, everyone has to take home a trophy.
Watch the following. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tiw80AvWBJ0
If you can't see the ball, quite clearly in fact, please get your eyes checked and stay off the road.
By watching how they strike the ball with their paddle, you can even appreciate and note the spin they are employ.
We need Forrest Gump. I can appreciate this piece and it exemplifies why there are so many different interests in the Olympics. These days you can literally turn the channel to something that floats your boat. These athletes are amazing and I can find something to appreciate in every sport. I am not a soccer person and watching the game bores me but I can appreciate why so many folks live and breathe it. Thank you for your perspective. Back in the day you only saw the big three on TV. Swimming, Gymnastics and Track & Field. The exposure ,to what some my see as insignificant, can change these athletes life with sponsorships etc... Is Cornhole an Olympic sport? The sight of the chalk puffs perks me up. I watched Archery for the first time this year... can't wait for the break dancing.
Yes, a lot of people are enjoying table tennis. You just need to know how to appreciate the game. If you literally cannot see the ball then you probably need a better TV or glasses or both.
I remember my parents spotting me 20 points.
I love you, Kat, but you're so off base in this piece that I actually feel sorry for you. I'm speaking here as both a competitive table tennis player and thrilled watcher of competitive table tennis. (Ping-pong, btw, is the benighted diminutive--the Parker Brothers attempt, many years ago, to trademark the game and tame it for backyards. You've insulted my tribe AND gone corporate without realizing it.) Table tennis, to begin with, is the most popular indoor game in the world. That fact alone might gain it a little respect. As any tournament player knows, it's a melting pot par excellence. The best players in the world, historically speaking, are the Chinese and the Swedes. Jan-Ove Waldner, the Swedish star of years gone by, is a thrilling player known for impossible shots made with consummate aplomb. Because table tennis favors lightning-fast reflexes, younger players often find themselves competing at the highest level, but the game has simultaneously always had a fondness for older players, grey foxes, who've got all the tricks and who know how to foil the best-laid reflexes. Marty Reisman, who I saw once at the table tennis club on Broadway at 96th Street, was the master. For the player, table tennis is an especially demanding discipline. But it lends itself, in a way that tennis simply does not, to a kind of one-upsmanship and showmanship. I'm thinking here about two of my teachers back in the day, Atanda Musa, the greatest player ever to come out of Africa; and Wally Green, a black New Yorker who combined a hip-hop attitude with serious German-honed skills. Olympic table tennis, of course--and notice, I'm not using the patronizing diminutive--is a subset of tournament table tennis, which is itself a subset of serious table tennis, often for money, that guys like Wally Green and Marty Reisman embody. Here's what I do know: if you spend a couple of hours with a great coach, being instructed in the basics, and then watched that coach--Musa or Wally, or the great George "the Chief" Braithwaite, former olympian and one of my coaches back in 2000-2002--battle another player, up close, you'd suddenly get it. You'd get why those of us who play the game seriously just love it to death. You'd begin to appreciate just what it takes to serve, and return, at the highest level. You'd feel the burn, and the innovation bred by desperation, of the serious tournament player seeking to stay alive in the point. You'd get it. You'd know who Danny Seemiller is, and why an aging schmo like me would travel to South Bend, Indiana to spend five days at a clinic put on by the former US champ. Start with Wally Green. I love the guy. He was a great coach. He taught me a lot. There's a deep, rich story here. I think you've missed it. But we love you anyway--and know that we could get you into the tribe, if you gave us a chance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP1_GjFJZKo
One of the truly great things about the Olympics has always been the world expanding aspect of it.
It would be odd if everyone liked everything.
And everyone is not America.
I spent a few months in China in 1982, and table-tennis / ping-pong was everywhere, and lots of people played.
The same with basketball.
I played both, I thought fairly well in the US. I couldn't beat anybody in ping-pong, but in basketball I might as well have been the NBA - of course I was young, athletic, and a foot taller than everybody.
So you never know.
You would have to pay people in Alabama to watch biathlon - but it's one of the most popular TV sports in Europe.
The variety is one of the great things about the Olympics.
Who knew there even was a thing called team fencing - but there I was yelling at the top on my lungs for the US to touch, or win, or whatever one is supposed to call it.
Except of course synchronized swimming, which is amazing, but kinda silly - no?
What will they think of next? Olympic tap dancing or break dancing?
Break dancing is a new Olympic “sport”. It’ll be on next week, I’m sure
Calling table tennis ping-pong is disparaging.
Yes it is, and I'm glad that you know that. Some of us--tournament players--use the diminutive anyway, but we know what the sport is called. Not everybody does.
Some of this might be due to NBC’s coverage of the Olympics outside of basketball, soccer, and women’s gymnastics - which is atrocious - but a lot of it seems to be unfamiliarity with the game.
Perhaps reaching out to someone other than a fellow journalist who claims to enjoy the sport, one could have reached out to an actual athlete for insight or, even better, played a bit of the game itself before judging.
Yes, ping pong is not a particularly strong spectator sport - but this is a very weak article. NBC- level Olympic coverage.
I played a lot with my brothers while growing up. I really enjoy seeing the best in the world go at it. Doubles matches are also great to watch.
Guys… the ball is bright white. The table is black. Maybe time to visit the eye doctor? 😂
This is worth seeing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ks4fJTFTXU
Excellent! Yes, that's where I'd start.
BikerChick, I contacted Kat on X about this issue; it was a glitch that has since been fixed.
I noticed this too. Thought it was very odd.
The content was extremely polarizing imo but let's have the debate.
Sometimes I have to read the comments to understand other people’s perspectives (why is it so polarizing that you would disable comments rather than just mute individuals? Could it have been a MISTAKE ? I am now curious how often this happens)
I went to the home page for FP and reviewed every article (showing) for every writer. They post the number of comments for each article. This is the only one which closed comments after one comment on the same day of publication. From my naive/quasi-libertarian perspective the simplest explanation is that it is a mistake.
Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me. I tend to see this happening more when people have a liberal point of view, not being able to "handle" words so they just disallow them. It's not OK. Taking me back to the Covid days when SCIENTISTS who didn't tow the line were censored or mocked. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya has an entire podcast dedicated to this very phenom.