Ping pong is a game played on a scaled-down tennis court on top of a table with a net fixed across the middle. It is a recreational and competitive sport and one of the fastest growing sports worldwide. Players play the game with small rackets (bats or paddles) and a lightweight hollow ball. The goal is to hit the ball so it goes over the net and onto the opponent’s side.
Originally, the names ping-pong and table tennis were fairly interchangeable at the start of the sport but when Parker Brothers aggressively protected their rights to the trade name in America, it was decided that a change in name would avoid potential trademark disputes. It is therefore that the International Table Tennis Federation refers to the game as table tennis rather than ping pong today.
Some more serious ping-pong players do not like to be referred to as ping pong because they feel that the onomatopoeic nature of the term gives the impression that the game is frivolous and childlike. However, most recreational ping-pong players embrace the name and enjoy playing this fun and social game!