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Friday Rebuttal

Posted: Apr 1st 2011, 12:17 pm by BPONG
Last modified: Apr 8th 2011, 03:37 pm   Comments: 7;

asd

by Jeff Barnes

One day, the World Series of Beer Pong will be televised. If you've ever headed out to Las Vegas to compete, you've dreamed of the day you'd be watching yourself sink cups on ESPN for the whole world to see. If we truly want to see the sport of beer pong legitimized, it's the next logical step, and one day it will happen. I'm sure of it.

I haven't always been so sure, though. I've long wondered what kind of market was out there for the event. Would people watch it? Would they be entertained? Would they attach themselves to the players and root for or against them? Would it help attract new players to the event? These are all questions that will be answered the day when our beloved sport finally hits the silver screen.

Until that day, however, if we want to watch beer pong we're pretty much limited to searching "beer pong" on YouTube and seeing what kind of results come back. Luckily, in the age where almost everyone owns a smartphone and technology increases at a rapid pace, we now have thousands of beer pong videos at our disposal on the internet. And I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the quality of these videos has increased exponentially in the last year or two. If you haven't checked out BPONG's official videos of this past World Series of Beer Pong VI final, you'll be blown away by how great it turned out. Click here for Game 1 and here for Game 2. High quality video, shooting percentages, and multiple close-ups of the dreamy Dan Range. What more could you ask for?

This production is in stark contrast to video footage of the first World Series of Beer Pong final, which was posted in January of 2006. Since its posting, the video has been viewed more than 690,000 times, which eliminates any questions whether an event like this would be able to attract enough interest from viewers.

While that video certainly illustrates how far beer pong videos have come, one only has to read the first page of comments to see the kind of negative commentary our videos invoke. There seems to be a lot of questions about the rules, the players, and some suggestions to improve the game overall. With more than 1,100 comments, I could only respond to some.

As you'll see, our version of beer pong has somewhat of an image problem. If everyone does their part, maybe one day we'll realize our dream of seeing the World Series of Beer Pong on ESPN.

zx6r8104: world series? my ass
Me: Posted more than four years ago, this is perhaps the first ever negative comment posted about the World Series of Beer Pong rules. User zx6r8104 is a pioneer.

pjt147: little lean dont ya think?
Me: This is a very good observation, the players are indeed leaning a little bit. User pjt147 has the distinct honor of posting the first ever YouTube comment mentioning the players leaning in WSOBP rules. Almost every comment which follows mentions leaning in some way, as well as the simple equation leaning=pussies.

coogiszk: are they playing on a popsicle stikk?? what kinda amateur shit is this?!
Me: No, believe it or not they are not playing on a popsicle stick. These players are playing on an official World Series of Beer Pong table. Sorry for the confusion, the two do look quite similar, don't they?

hubbard689: french people suck
Me: Hard to argue with that.

notahookah: I agree with PureDdser.. even if the table is longer than usual, that is honestly still not legit.. play normally and keep the arm length with the ball lined up @ the edge of the table.. I would take a shit on the person's chin who ever hosted this beer pong tourny.
Me: Billy, Duncan and Skinny just made a new friend. Make sure to wash your face.

drinkingeducation: Who plays beer pong with less than 5000 cups anyway? my game was way bigger and way more epic. search largest game of beer pong or just check out my video...haha.
Me: Seriously! There's no worse feeling than showing up to a party or beer pong tournament and finding the table is short about 4,980 cups. Hate when that happens.

ar374: lame. you are obviously stupid and go to a county college because pong is never about competition; its about playing with a girl and showing how "athletic" you are. fools.
Me: I'm currently reconsidering my decision to attend a state university as opposed to a county college. I was not aware that pong was purely to show the ladies how athletic I am. Pong is never about competition. Definitely not.

traumatized85: we allow leaning when we play, but we use a 8'x4' peice of plywood as a table..
Me: Finally, someone supports leaning! However, only if the table is 8 feet of plywood, as opposed to an 8 foot WSOBP table. Otherwise, leaning is for pussies.

stewy0327: I guess if they are play tournements in Vages like that then maybe, just maybe you need to learn how to play. This video is the same way I play, just a thought
Me: He said "vages" lol.

RickySmith357: why dont they juss fuck at the end? Lol
Me: Now THAT's a video I'd like to see.

chiefweezo: i dont know if im blind but it looks like they r playin 6 cups, what pussies. not to mention they r leaning half way across the table.
Me: Yep, you're blind. There's actually only 3 cups on the table. Also, good call on the leaning.

PimpPoptart: lol you guys are all worried about elbows...? im worried that its france FUCK france
Me: The only thing worse than someone leaning is a French person leaning.

stinkytoy: i find it hard to believe that in the WORLD championship, they could even miss ONCE! doesn't everyone know someone that makes like every shot? Hahaha
Me: I know, right! I mean, they are leaning so far! It is so easy! They are practically slam dunking the ball! How can you miss??

rham2826: u wanna get in the running to win a WSOBP entry or 650 bucks?? Check out my site wwwdotsmashingpongtimedotwebsd­otcom and take my all sports challenge and nba ,ncaa bb challenge
Me: Ron Hamilton, is that you?

Dudefish4203: I just dont get it.. Im just to smart for this beer pong thing
Me: Yeah, you are probably to smart.

Bossasaurus5101: What's up with the flagrant elbows and hand fouls. It's pretty easy if you're allowed to shoot so close to the cup. BS
Me: Agreed. There were numerous hand fouls this game that the referees did not call.

JustinMcK117: I am alot better than both teams. I have made 9 cups in a row... And I dont hang my elbow over even when were aloud to. This is a joke. I will this win next year.
Me: He did not win that year. Or this year.

3HEFZR91: look at that elbow cross, get the fuck back.!
Me: Another stellar observation.

kdubs336: these dudes definitely had sex after this.
Me: Hopefully… what happens in Mesquite stays in Mesquite, though.

Murderface80: wow thats gay as hell, the french would be the people to not obey the table touch rule lol
Me: Damn French.

xdutchx1990x: ELBOWS U WEAK FUCKERS! play me i dare you, ill put 10 grand on one game. pro up pussies
Me: If xdutch1990x was born in 1990, that makes him eligible to play in this year's tournament. Any takers?

lilhomie0163: World Series of Dropping-Balls-In-A-Cup Championship Game Las Vegas 2006. Better title?
Me: Has a nice little ring to it.

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7 Comments

  • sfoster Apr 1st 2011, 01:32 pm # [-] [+]
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    I don't really watch sports so this is a tough subject for me.. but if beer pong were really that interesting wouldn't more people stick around to watch the finals at tournaments? Our local scene always seems like a ghost town by the end.. and these are beer pong enthusiasts that are too bored by it to stick around.
     
    I think there was a TMBB about how boring it is for pongers girlfriends to go to tournaments and watch their BFs play..
    That youtube video may have close to 700,000 views, but how many of those were interested enough to watch the whole game?
     
    People seem to have a curiosity about it, but damn if it isn't boring.. hey like I said, I don't watch regular sports either so it's not my bag to sit on the sidelines and watch. I want to get right there in the middle. I did my best to make the world series more entertaining to watch this year.. to draw people in and make it into a public spectacle. Haha no doubt that helped to spice things up, so maybe that'll help with a future bpong sales pitch?
     
    I told the last cup guys that they should re-release the DVD with a special features option -- audio commentary tracks that play over the movie and then hire some funny people to do different tracks. If you could pay someone like daniel tosh to sit around and make jokes while the movie played, something like that would have enormous draw..  and really this is the perfect source movie to make jokes about.
     
    Maybe our WS videos can have a couple of charming people w/ entertaining banter in between the games, or some commentary and fun facts about the players AS they're playing... "oh and a shot was made! Did you know that so and so did X? Reminds me of a time blah blah."
     
    If people enjoy reading .. READING about beer pong.. surely we can take some of this entertainment value and put it to spoken word inside a beer pong video stream instead of a blog. Just because BP is usually boring at live matches, doesn't mean that it can't be entertaining with the right editing and production value
     
  • jeffbarnes Apr 1st 2011, 01:58 pm # [-] [+]
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    Why does every comment you make on things have to be negative?
     
    If you aren't doing anything to help, it doesn't give you an right to complain. Just my opinion.
  • sfoster Apr 1st 2011, 02:48 pm # [-] [+]
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    Seriously? What was my negative comment? Saying that most BP isn't fun to watch ?
    "I think I speak for every gentleman in attendance when I admit how boring it is to watch a beer pong tournament and not play in it" - Barn Animal
    http://mdbeerpong.com/recap.php?id=771
     
    pretty sure I have done more to help than 98% of the pong community, so IDK what you're talking about Jeff.
    Not to mention the fact that my last comment ended with an optimistic suggestion for helping with audience draw.
     
    You're way off base on this one.
     

    If I wanted to make a negative comment, I would have said something about the huge, ugly bald spot that's practically the focal point of your main blog pic this time around. Nice choice
  • jeffbarnes Apr 1st 2011, 03:07 pm # [-] [+]
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    If you are just watching people play beer pong with no rooting interests, then yes, it is boring. Was I bored watching a bunch of girls play that I had no rooting interest in whatsoever? Absolutely. But, like you said, if produced right than it can be entertaining.
     
    As far as your previous comments, you have a snarky little message to add to everything lately. If you're not talking about how little you care about beer pong these days, you are complaining that not a single MD team made the finals of Spring Classic, how you had to face the sun, how people aren't linking to Wikipedia, how you won't play in Beast of the East without Jeff Gillen, how the drive is too far, etc.
     
    Not to mention other comments to blogs you have made on this site which have disappeared.
     
    Just gets a little old after a while.
  • sfoster Apr 1st 2011, 04:04 pm # [-] [+]
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    I didn't think this blog post was related to any of that other stuff
    I was trying to be constructive, and you came at me out of left field with a sharp edge.
     
    You say I don't have the right to complain about BOTE? I was seeded on the damn squad without even being asked, even after I announced retirement! On top of that are financial costs to shoulder, so if being volunteered to part with my money and time doesn't give me a right to complain then IDK what does???? Seriously.
     
    And yeah my other comment getting deleted from here seemed pretty fucked up to me too.
    I was ASKED by the bpong staff to pose for a photo with lucky, but apparently just mentioning the existence of such a photo was enough to get my comment deleted?? Eh. That's their right, so whatever, but it's messed up to have that attitude when I was solicited for the pic to begin with
  • sfoster Apr 1st 2011, 04:43 pm # [-] [+]
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    For the record, I just talked with billy and it looks like my comment in question was probably lost to a bug (now fixed) rather than intentionally deleted.
    Just wanted to clear that up
  • slabofhambone Apr 2nd 2011, 09:43 pm # [-] [+]
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    Just to add my two cents.
     
    I love these blogs barnes.  I think they are funny and it's a great way for pong enthusiasts to read about people/events/random pong ideas from across the country.  Keep up the good work!
     
    I agree with you that beer pong will be on television some day.  Someone who has the time and energy and money should get a film crew together and film as much as humanly possible of one tournament and then edit it down to a two hour event.  Conduct interviews, maybe or maybe not have commentators, follow specific players through the tournament, have backrounds of the studs etc.  Very similar to how the WSOP is produced.  If Spike aired WS 7 on some random night in Feb, I would bet anything a lot people would watch.  There would be a lot of haters and a lot more people would sign up for WS 8.  Think about some of the crap people watch on tv.  Yesterday my roommate was watching some show about people that buy up unpaid storage units and try and sell the random left behind crap to make an extra buck.  What.  And your telling me someone couldn't travel across the country filming different bpong tournaments and air it on tv?  People would get wrapped up in the players.  We are a goofy bunch.  I fell asleep under the race track at the East Coast Championship and had to hitch hike my way back to the hotel at 5:30 in the morning drunk as balls!  And that had nothing to do with the tournament.  
     
    I watch sports alot.  I watch pong videos.  I am definitely entertained by them and they are not even filmed well.  Thats also because I'm weird and enjoy pong way too much.  I stay around and watch the tournaments I lose in or I'm playing money games.  But I feel people leave because of the sting of losing versus this is boring.  Not many people wanna stick around and watch some guy who just talked mad shit at them continue on winning.  I have been at tournaments where a lot of people stuck around also.