"There's a scene in the recent hit movie Marty Supreme in which Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet), an American table tennis champion and inveterate liar getting by on the skin of his teeth in post-WWII America, is seeking capital from a wealthy man, hoping to grow the game he loves and his own prestige. At one point, in a rare move for the character, Marty tells the truth: " I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling you, this game fills stadiums overseas.""
"Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), a touring table tennis startup league founded in 2023, is trying to make the sport big in the US, too. (The league bills itself as "AMERICA'S FIRST PROFESSIONAL TABLE TENNIS LEAGUE," capitalization their own.) The format is very particular. Instead of playing one-on-one for individual glory, players from around the world are sorted into teams."
A fictional post‑WWII scene portrays an American table tennis champion claiming the game fills stadiums overseas. Table tennis remains a deep, entertaining sport that is massive in Asia but limited in the United States to club play and occasional Olympic attention. Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) launched in 2023 as a touring, city‑branded team league intended to expand U.S. interest. MLTT assigns cities to teams regardless of player residence, sends teams on weekend tours to play team‑based matches, and stages multiple matches over event weekends. The Portland Paddlers and player Nihkil Kumar exemplify the league's crossover of players and entertainment.
Read at Portland Mercury
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