newjerseynewsroom.com

BY PAM LOBLEY

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

NOW THAT'S FUNNY

DUUUUUUUDE! Beer pong is an official sport!

Seriously. Next Sunday, June 13, the World Beer Pong Tour's Atlantic City Tournament will begin and run for three days. The event will be held at Resorts Atlantic City and expects to draw 350 teams competing for a total of $50,000 in prize money.

DUUUUDE! We are so there!

Beer pong has primarily been a game played on college campuses and in college bars, and has gained tremendously in popularity over the last 5 to 10 years. It has crossed over into a "play for money" sport, with a World Series of Beer Pong held in Las Vegas every year. In fact, according to Billy Gaines, the co-founder of the World Series of Beer Pong and of BPONG.com, the Vegas tournament is so serious that many players don't even drink while they play it.

Now the game is taking hold in Atlantic City. Bally's Wild Wild West Casino is adding 12 beer pong tables to its Main Stage bar, ready to take advantage of growing interest in the game. The tables will be open 24 hours a day, and the area will also feature a mechanical bull and free, live music. There will be beer pong tournaments all summer long and Bally's plans a pretty aggressive schedule of competition.

Beer pong is played by bouncing a ping pong ball across a table about eight feet into a cup of beer. A quick check of the National Beer Pong League (www.nbpl.net) shows that the rules can vary widely: you can play with or without paddles, and there are versions like "Long Island Style", "Virginia Rules" and "Bounce Pong." At Bpong.com, you can buy official beer pong tables, clothing, and other game supplies. You can even get a sticker with a slogan that says "Sink it. Drink it." I told you this was a real sport!

"Beer Pong is getting huge" says Billy Gaines. He predicts it will even be on TV soon. Can Spin The Bottle be far behind?

Pam Lobley writes the "Now That's Funny" column. Sign up for her mailing list at www.pamlobley.com.