“We’re getting inundated with so many e-mails that I don’t have the time to fool with it,” said Maryland state senator George Della Jr. (D-Baltimore).  He was explaining why he had withdrawn Senate Bill 233, a bill he introduced that would have outlawed “beer pong” and similar drinking games in Baltimore taverns.

Beer pong, a game in which teams try to lob ping-pong balls across a table into a cup, has become very popular lately.  There are now state and national beer pong tournaments, and special tables reserved for the game in city bars.  Senator Della seems to be one of those who believes, for some strange reason, that beer pong encourages people to drink, and further that drinking leads to “raucous behavior.”

Della’s bill would have forbidden bar owners to “promote, encourage, or allow on the premises a game commonly known as beer pong or any other game or contest that involves drinking alcoholic beverages or the awarding of drinks of alcoholic beverages as prizes.”  When this became known, it wasn’t long before Della faced a coalition of infuriated Maryland beer-pong players.  His office got so many angry e-mails that Della withdrew the bill within 48 hours of it becoming public.

“I’m very happy,” said Jim Reiter of MD Beer Pong, believed to be the largest beer pong league in Maryland.  MDBP was one of the groups orchestrating the e-mail campaign.  According to the article, Reiter said that his group “would continue to fight the misperception that [beer pong] leagues encourage excessive drinking.”

The Baltimore Sun’s (unscientific) website poll showed that 90 percent of respondents were opposed to banning the game.

Link: Baltimore Sun