Pong: A Stomach-Churning Game

A Clemson University professor recently deployed students to test balls used to play beer pong. His findings aren’t surprising: it’s a dirty game that spreads germs and disease. Is this news likely to induce Dartmouth students to change their pong habits? don’t count on it.

FOUL BALL The study found balls teeming with bugs— 3 million bacteria were found on a ball used in an outdoor game of pong, including salmonella, listeria, E. coli and staph.

SPREADING THE BUGS Lab testers placed bacteria on ping-pong balls and put them into a glass of beer. Much of the bacteria transferred easily to the beverage.

STUDENT'S OPINION “The findings don’t surprise me,” says Noah Smith ’15, “and they don’t bother me. The fun of playing pong largely outweighs the potential consequences. I feel that I’m constantly sick throughout the fall and winter terms anyway, so a little junk on a pong ball isn’t even something I think about.”

DOCTOR'S OPINION Dr. John Turco, codirector of student health services, calls the study unsurprising and “a cute attempt at quasiscience.” To minimize the spread of disease, players “should wear masks, which may minimize spread of any virus from coughs,” he says. “This isn’t proven but is a lot more likely to help than washing pong balls.” Turco adds this warning: “Students can get very drunk playing pong, which leads to all sorts of medical problems.”