It had been a long night and this final game had gone on long enough. I was tired, my teammate was tired, and I had class in six hours. I looked up and saw fear in my opponents' eyes; they didn't want me to shoot. But this was my moment.
With ice in my veins I took one last look at the cup as I spun the white ping pong ball, still dripping with water. With the tension nearly at the breaking point, with the place ready to explode, I took one last breath as I prepared to deliver this ball to the beer it longed for. Brimming with confidence, I bent my legs and took the shot that would surely bring victory.
My name is Joshua Spivack and I am addicted to beer pong. For the past two years or so I have undertaken this recreational sport here at Arizona State University, often sacrificing my friends and my work. I eat, sleep, certainly drink, and breathe beer pong. I even dream about beer pong. While others are out reading their economics and their math, I am at home, practicing. Preparing for that moment, late one night, when the only thing between shame and fame is my ball and I.
But I'm not alone. There are many out there just like me. The world of underground, competitive beer pong here at ASU is still in its infancy but has taken off nonetheless. Go to some parties and see how many don't have this college classic. You won't find too many.
But what makes pong so popular and why are so many of us now addicted to this new phenomenon? Maybe it's that at anytime anyone can step up and become a hero. There are no physical limitations; there are hardly even drunk limitations.
Or maybe it's because we have found time and time again, winning is always better than losing, but even when we lose, we still seem to win.
We who play don't yet know the consequences of our actions. Shall we rise to the status of modern day sports champion or will we fade to the standing of the stereotypical drunk Sun Devil? I vow to make it the former, and I will do everything possible to advance this sport. I want to teach people about my addiction, to help them know that the sport they used to call Beirut is not just a trend and more than just a game. It is a calling.
Work has been done. Unofficial tournaments throughout ASU occur routinely. Trophies are presented and champions are crowned. Interschool beer pong is next. It's like basketball with beer, and that's one shot ASU will never miss! In fact, considering ASU's reputation, athletic director Lisa Love should seriously consider petitioning the NCAA so that ASU could guarantee some sports glory. I guarantee she'd have at least half the student body at open tryouts the next day.
But we have only begun to see where the most popular college drinking game in modern day history will go. Bpong.com just hosted the World Series of Beer Pong II this past January in Mesquite, Nevada, which issued a $20,000 grand prize.
Other leagues, organizations, and tournaments are popping up everywhere as beer pong makes strides to move past the status of a mere recreational activity.
I am addicted to beer pong because every house is different. The tables are different, cups are different, even the rules can vary. You must adjust to all of this; much like you would adjust to a different golf course, and do what the game calls on you to do, no matter what.
I love beer pong because every game is a chance to show that drinking is more than just throwing quarters or flipping cards, that drinking can be both recreational and for the serious professionals. I love beer pong because when everyone's watching and it's your shot to make or break the game, the pressure isn't alcohol induced, it's real. And the jubilation or the anguish, that's real too.
We play because we love it. This addiction, this craze, it's got us all. Instead of fighting it, let us accept the next big thing in alcohol as well as sports. Let us propel beer pong to levels never thought possible before. For it is here that we are all athletes, and it is here, in this arena of pong, that we can all become champions, even if only for a night, even if only for a game.
But lastly, I love beer pong because when all is said and done, when all the shots are taken, the trash talk said, the beer drank and the moments had, there are never, ever, any losers.
My name is Joshua Spivack, and I love my addiction. Addicted too, or just questions? joshua.spivack@asu.edu.
