Column: Playing the name game with a party classic

The biggest rift on campus surpasses that between the greeks and independents, SU and ESF students or upperclassman and frosh. No, the major schism within the student body is the argument over the correct title for the most popular drinking game: Beirut or Beer Pong.

The divide remains great and debate heavily heated. As a campus, we must take a stand — one term must be instituted.

Beer Pong began in the 1950s at a Boston university, probably Dartmouth College or the University of Massachusetts, according to a 1997 article in The Dartmouth. The name "Beer Pong" stuck after fraternity brothers with a liking for pingpong left their beer cups on the table while they played. The game developed as a way of enjoying both activities at the same time.

Students, meanwhile, started simply tossing the balls with their hands due to the unavailability of a good set of paddles, according to The Unofficial Beer Pong Web site. But of course, not having paddles breeds a whole new game needing a whole new name.

Hence, Beirut.

"Beirut gained its popularity around the time of the U.S./Beirut conflict in the early-mid 80's. The pingpong balls were being lobbed into opponents cups, kind of like a bomb dropping from the sky," states the Web site.

This means only one thing: the sans-paddles game played on campus is Beirut. It does not matter where you grew up or what your high school called it; it is time everyone matures and unites under the appropriate appellation.

Even the leader of all Beer Pongers knows the truth.

"The difference between Beer Pong and Beirut is that Beer Pong refers to any variation of the game that uses paddles to hit the ball in the cup, while in Beirut, the ball is thrown by hand," said Jason Keith, head of the National Beer Pong League. (And yes, there really is a league. Check out nbpl.net.)

So next time you pick up a pingpong ball and toss it into a Miller Lite-filled plastic cup, realize you're fooling yourself if you think you're playing Beer Pong.

Let's all freshen up on our geography and start calling it by its correct name: Beirut.

Steve Krakauer is a freshman broadcast journalism major. E-mail him at sakrakau@syr.edu.