Table tennis, that vicious art of demolishing an opponent with reflex action, deadly patience and a featherweight celluloid ball, had its murky origins in the late 19th century. The game seems to have been invented by an American or an Englishman: it was originally promoted in Britain and the U.S. by toy and game companies, under the patented name Ping Pong. As a competitive sport, it has seldom been taken seriously in this country, and today it is usually relegated to suburban basements, where sons can wreak Oedipal vengeance on their panting middle-aged...
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