Ah, beer pong. The ubiquitous party game. The de facto minor of college students everywhere—and just like poker, baseball, or any other American institution, it has its own national event, The World Series of Beer Pong. Whether you’ve seen it in Maxim, The Jay Leno Show, or recently in theaters, The WSOBP is getting bigger, badder, and more extracurricular each year, and now, with less than ten days remaining to sign up your team, we’re counting down the top ten reasons to head to Vegas & get your balls wet.
10. Vegas.
Sin City needs no introduction. With its limitless menu of strippers, all-night clubs, celebrity sightings (pro tip: stay away from this guy), and lack of standards of any kind, Vegas is not just a city, it’s an alternate reality in which the laws of the everyday world do not apply. It’s the reason why it’s completely plausible that The Hangover was based on a true story, and that it’s true you've never really partied until you’ve partied in Vegas (which in Skinny’s certain people’s case means until you’ve stumbled out of Drai’s at 7am with a fat girl under one arm and a leprechaun under the other) Edit: She was just big-boned.
9. The Playing Field
There will be about five hundred teams at The WSOBP this year. We’ll say that again. Five hundred teams. They will come from almost every US State, and many will fly in from other continents. You may be the best at your local bar or fraternity, but until you’ve been to Vegas, you’re just playing in the sandlot. The WSOBP is the only place to come see where you really stand.
8. It’s A Real World Series
Ever seen Beerfest? Yeah, it’s kinda like that. Oh, except it’s in real life, so unless you fly intercontinental on a regular basis, you’re probably never going to play a Japanese team, an Irish team, or an Austrian team, but at The WSOBP it’s par for the course—and with at least 7 countries represented this year, the opportunity to topple an international superpower has never been better. Yes, they are good at something other than hockey in Canada.
7. Bruce Buffer
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuce. Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuce. Known internationally as the Octagon announcer for the UFC and the “Voice of MMA,” Bruce Buffer can rev up a crowd like a Formula One car. Whether it’s two guys beating the snot out of each other or four guys lobbing ping pong balls across a table, the man knows competition when he sees it. When he strides into the arena to announce the $50,000 game, there’s no place we’d rather be. As he puts it, “The crowd loves me, and I give them my all”. It shows. You da man, Bruce.
6. Ron Hamilton & Mike Pop
A wise man once said truth is stranger than fiction, and this has never been more true than in the world of professional beer pong. Case in point: Ron Hamilton. A combination of Barry Bonds, Dennis Rodman, and a charging rhinoceros all rolled into one, Ron’s nerve-rattling antics, insane hair, and legendary appetite for Cinnamon Life cereal are second only to his unquenchable thirst for cups and unsettling tendency to spam every last person on his Facebook friend list (we’re serious—don’t friend him). But with unprecedented back-to-back WSOBP victories, he stands alone in the world of beer pong. In fact, there may be no-one else in the game more well-known or more feared, except for his teammate...
Mike Popielarski. The giraffe. The quiet riot. Mike and Ron, aka “Smashing Time” made their debut at WSOBP II and promptly laid waste to the surrounding teams. Though rumors abound of a possible break-up, in all likelihood the duo will be gunning this year for an unheard-of 3rd consecutive win.
The question on everyone's mind this year is—can anyone stop them?
5. The Side Events
Let’s face it, you might never get a chance to hit a home run at Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium, but you stand a good chance of sinking a clutch last cup at The WSOBP VI to send your opponents packing. But even if you do get eliminated from the Main Event, it doesn’t mean you have to pack your bags and go home. Sign up for one of the many side events taking place this year: East vs Midwest vs West, The Co-ed Tournament, International-Only, or The Singles Tournament, and you’ll be right back in the game.
4. The Sponsor Babes
Nothing says “take out your wallet” quite like a scantily-clad, cup-hungry damsel and the businesses who sponsor The WSOBP are well aware of that fact. Suit ‘em up & send ‘em out! Or don’t suit em up, whatever works. Each year the sponsor babes crank it up a notch and give us some eye candy we’ll never forget. We love you, ladies.
3. They Might Make A Documentary About You
In the spring of 2006, BPONG was approached by the fledgling documentary film production company Film 101, who expressed interest in producing a feature-length documentary covering The WSOBP. After several rounds of drinks and at least as many games of pong, the foundations for the film were laid. The documentary would feature five teams as they trained for The WSOBP and would be named Last Cup: Road to The World Series of Beer Pong.
Executive-produced by Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me” fame, the documentary received critical acclaim at a wide array of film festivals including CineVegas and was awarded limited theatrical release in 2009. The DVD is now available at The BPONG Store, on Netflix, and in select retail outlets.
2. The Costumes
From barely-dressed women and cross-dressing men to bearded banditos and full-body-spandex, in six years The WSOBP has seen its share of costumes (as well as improvisation and performance art). Nothing says “miss this shot” quite like something obscene lingering in your field of vision, and in the game of beer pong, this fact is well-known, and indeed celebrated. Each year the bar is raised (lowered?), and the legend continues.
1. The Infamy.
“If you win The World Series of Beer Pong, they can never take that away from you.”
We’re not sure exactly what shadowy, underground cabal The Iceman was referring to when he spoke of “they,” but you get the idea. Beer pong separates the men from the boys, and the MVPs from the... basement champions? After three full days of game play and four hundred ninety nine defeated teams, there can be only one champion--and through skill, perseverance, and dedication, that team is destined to take it all the way. And these men’s names will be written on the wall of history, to live in infamy. GAME ON!
Don’t Forget: Sign-ups close Friday Dec. 10th! Get your team ready and sign up before time runs out!
