House of Pong

AVAILABLE UNTIL JULY 15, 2013

House of Pong is a revolutionary new look at Ping Pong. Argue amongst your friends whether or not it’s ping pong or table tennis, House of Pong is the fastest growing activity venue on San Francisco's waterfront. Top spin, chop shot or underpin serve, you and your friends will have a chance to play each other or sign up for one of our 'evening of' tournament. Newbies, don't be shy, House of Pong caters to all ages and levels. Not feeling up to playing? Relax on one of the heated patios while checking out the bar overlooking panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay. Mingle with friends and listen to the sounds of great guest DJ's.

"When you heard a rumor about a secret ping-pong party that involved Susan Sarandon and Fisherman’s Wharf, you vowed to be ready for the next one.

You studied.

You practiced your reverse cosmonaut backhand.

You watched Stepmom.

Now is your time.

Introducing House of Pong, a covert temple of ping-pong where you and your varsity table tennis team can dominate pickup games and gracefully sup beers, taking names now in Fisherman’s Wharf.

Last time you were in Fisherman’s Wharf, you woke up behind the counter at In-N-Out at 6am muttering “Animal Style” over and over. So, yeah, it’s not your usual haunt. But in the name of rogue table tennis, we think you can make an exception.

Politely ask to get on the list, and you’ll receive an invite for a party (keep February 3 open). When the day arrives, know that the door’s unmarked, so head toward the Wax Museum and listen for ping-pong-type sounds. Or look for the McDonald’s, open the door on the left and take the elevator to the third floor.

You can join the round-robins, which are meant to be low-key (the well-stocked bar would be your first clue). But if you want to get a quick warm-up, slip into the Indigo Room and challenge the ping-pong robot to a little back-and-forth.

Just remember: robots fight to the death."

--Urban Daddy

4th Of July Party!

07/06/2012
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House of Pong Trailer

The House of Pong is a covert temple of ping-pong where you can dominate, pick up games, test your skills in the tournament, or just enjoy the music while hanging out with great people!

HISTORY OF PING PONG

Ping-Pong or Table Tennis? Which is Correct?

Answer: We all know it’s great fun to play, but is ping-pong the proper phrase? Or is table tennis the true term? Does it matter? After all, what’s in a name?

Ping-Pong vs Table Tennis – the History

Perhaps a look at the history of table tennis / ping-pong will give us a clue as to what we should be calling our favorite sport.

According to the ITTF website, the first use of the name “Table Tennis” appeared on a board and dice game made by J.H.Singer of New York in 1887, showing that the phrase “table tennis” had been around at least since then.

In 1901, John Jacques registered “Ping-Pong” as a trade name in England, and the American rights were sold to Parker Brothers. On the 12th December 1901, “The Table Tennis Association” was formed in England, and four days later, “The Ping-Pong Association” was also formed in England. These two associations would later merge in 1903 to become “The United Table Tennis and Ping-Pong Association”, and then would eventually change back to “The Table Tennis Association” before dying out in 1904.

This seems to suggest that the names ping-pong and table tennis were fairly interchangeable at the origin of the sport. And as Parker Brothers were apparently very aggressive in protecting their rights to the trade name “Ping-Pong” in America, it is perhaps understandable that when the game began to revive in England and Europe in the 1920′s, the name table tennis was preferred to ping-pong to avoid trademark disputes. It would also explain why the governing body of the sport is the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF).

So as far as history is concerned, the names ping-pong and table tennis were equally valid when referring to the sport. So much for the past – what about the present?

Ping-Pong vs Table Tennis – Modern Times

In modern times, it seems that our sport has split into two camps – the recreational players, who tend to use the phrase ping-pong and table tennis interchangeably, and treat it as a game or past-time, and the serious players, who call it table tennis almost exclusively and view it as a sport. (With the possible exception of China, where apparently the phrase ping-pong is still popular for the sport and past-time).

While most recreational players don’t really care what the sport is called (they are too busy having fun!), some serious players take offence at the sport being called ping-pong, associating the phrase with basement level play. They believe that the name table tennis should be used exclusively, since they feel that this is more appropriate for the image of the sport.

As Shakespeare might say if he was around today – “the game, by any other name, would be as sweet”! Or maybe our motto should be “Don’t worry how you say it – just play it”