Ten things you should know about 'beer pong'

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November 12, 2009

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Beer pong is played with 2 teams, 16 oz red plastic cups, 2 ping pong balls and lots of beer - it is easier to watch than explain.

It is said to have originated at Dartmouth in the 1950's when spectators rested cups of beer on ping pong tables during games.

It was originally played with paddles; it is not clear when the paddles were discarded in favor of using hands to hit the ball, but it is likely that Lehigh or Bucknell were the first perpetrators.

In the early 1970's, Dartmouth briefly sanctioned the game as an intramural sport, making it the only college sponsored drinking contest in the country.

Beer pong is also called Beirut, but the origin of that name is unclear. There are suggestions it originated during the Lebanese Civil War. The Daily Princetonian did some research and concluded: Perhaps we will never know the true story of Beirut's roots. We do know, though, that it was the brainchild of foreign-affairs-conscious frat brothers who felt the need to link current events with a sport of drunken debauchery. As they put it, whether you win or lose, you get bombed.

There is an official World Series of Beer Pong complete with rules and a $50,000 grand prize. The next one is in Las Vegas, January 1-5, 2010. Deadline to enter is December 10. Better hurry. Two of the more interesting rules are (a) Distractions should not violate any local, state, or federal laws, and (b) We will not be liable for the resulting ridicule excessively leaning players are bound to receive from other participants.

There are differing opinions about whether beer pong is causing H1N1 influenza to spread among students on college campuses, or whether it is all the other sharing and consumption they do together. Use your imagination.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York banned Beer Pong after some students came down with H1N1 flu, thereby making them fair game for Saturday Night Live.

Anyone who thinks you can ban beer - or beer pong - on campus, hasn't been on campus lately.

College binge drinking - defined as five or more alcoholic drinks on any single occasion - continues to increase, due in no small part to beer pong.

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