The Origin of Table Tennis
Parker Brothers trademarked the phrase "Ping Pong" in the U.S.
Table tennis began in England during the 19th century when victorians would convert the dining room table after supper and play a replica of the already popular sport of tennis. The nets were stacks of books, the paddles were cigar box lids, and the ball was either made of rubber, string, or cork
Diffusion
Red- Parker Brothers trademark, 1800s..........Purple- English officers playing at army camps Dark Blue- Japanese Professor, 1902............................................. Maroon- Edward Shires, 1902
The sport diffused to America in the 1800s by the Parker Brothers board game company. Table Tennis got spread through most of Asia during war as the English officers would play casually at army camps to pass time. In 1902 a visiting Japanese professor took the game back to japanese college students after visiting Great Britain. Just then after, Edward Shires, a british salesman, introduced the game to the people of vienna and budapest.
Distribution
The ITTF or International Table Tennis Federation began in 1926 and became the foundation of the casual sport, Table Tennis. Now in the 21st century you can buy Table Tennis equipment many different places around the world mainly in the US, the UK, and Asia. Anyone can buy one if they have the money for it, it may not be as popular as other sports but they can be cheap and easy to buy. The highest concentration of professional players are in Asia and Eastern Europe. It has mainly distributed to semi-periphery and core countries world wide.
