The sound of the plastic balls bouncing across the fiberboard slows and quickens as the frantic movements of the players become more exaggerated. A crowd begins to gather round and the suspense grows. Hearts beat with excitement. Could it really be that the ping pong match between Marty and Wally is transpiring right before your eyes, here in Adam F. Press Fitness Center?
These are not the fictional characters played by Timothée Chalamet and Tyler, the Creator, but rather the Colorado College ping pong regulars taking part in their routine afternoon games.
But despite the fact that this isn’t the site of Marty and his sidekick running a sneaky hustle to afford a plane ticket to the World Ping Pong Championships in Japan, the passion for the sport is still alive and well here in Colorado Springs.
Nolan Diffley, ‘27 believes that “Marty would feel right at home here,” at the Colorado College tables.
The table tennis scene at CC has always held a special place on campus. The number of people checking out paddles at the gym has increased this semester, following the Christmas Day release of “Marty Supreme.” It’s really not surprising that a blockbuster movie like this one had a real impact on the habits of the viewing audience. It’s a phenomenon that has been alive and well for decades, like when the American Kennel Club saw an increase from 8,170 to 42,816 in annual number of registered Dalmatian puppies after the 1961 release of “101 Dalmatians.” While the existing data for table tennis popularity isn’t quite as robust there are some long-time players who have witnessed the changes firsthand.
Teddy Doggett ‘27, who frequents the tables, gave his own estimates of the changes in table trends he’s seen since the release. He watched the movie in early January without even knowing entirely what the movie was about and he noticed that since then there has been a “vast increase in the number of people frequenting the tables at AFP Center. Lots more people are playing in general, probably a 100-200% increase and with that, a 50-100% increase in the number of people who seem ‘serious’ while playing,” Doggett said.
Adam Schauer ‘27 has been playing ping pong competitively since coming to CC as a freshman. He also holds the title of last spring’s ping pong tournament champion. Schauer said he has welcomed the rise in popularity of the sport here on campus.
“I think it’s such a fun, accessible game and very easy to get into and I’m glad people are starting to join and play for themselves,” said Schauer.
According to A24, the studio responsible for the film’s production, “Marty Supreme” is about “a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.” While the plot often spends long stretches exploring themes other than the sport of table tennis, it never fails to capture the underdog spirit that ping pong so successfully breeds. Here at our tables, games are constantly ending in upsets and new players are always ready to make a splash.
“When I was abroad, I heard a freshman won this fall’s tournament, so I got to play with him a little bit and his game was really good,” Schauer said. “There are some people who used to play some and now they play a lot and they’ve gotten really good. So yeah, there’s definitely been an improvement overall.”
The 2025 movie boasts an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.⅖ ranking on Letterboxd. Yet it is not hard to find someone who still believes that this movie is not worth the watch. It’s even easier to find someone who is intent on pointing out that the movie isn’t entirely focused on the sport anyway.
“I find it a bit frustrating at times as people joke to me that I’m just yet another Marty player, I don’t want to be associated with a movie that yes, is about ping pong, but not really about the sport and about some romanticized chaotic lifestyle of Timothée Chalamet,” Doggett said.
Maybe there’s room for the CC film department to hop on this chance to make a movie truly focused on the glorious table-top sport that continues to captivate our school.