Marty Supreme sparks table tennis boom across the US

Published: 24 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

For decades in the United States, table tennis has existed in a strange cultural limbo. It is one of the most widely played recreational sports in the country, found in schools, community centres, offices and basements, yet it has long struggled to be taken seriously as a professional or cultural force. Often dismissed as little more than a casual pastime, the sport has rarely enjoyed sustained mainstream attention. That perception is now shifting, driven by an unlikely combination of cinema, social media and a new generation of players.

The release of Marty Supreme, a critically acclaimed biopic inspired by the life and myth of postwar American table tennis champion Marty Reisman, has coincided with a surge of interest across the sport. The film, steeped in obsession and intensity, has pushed ping-pong into the pop-culture conversation at a moment when professional competition and grassroots participation in the US were already quietly gaining momentum.

Across the country, table tennis clubs report a noticeable rise in new members, while professional matches are drawing larger crowds than ever before. Major League Table Tennis (MLTT), founded in 2023 as the first professional table tennis league in the US, recently recorded its highest regular-season ticket sales to date. League founder Flint Lane has acknowledged that the timing of the film’s release has played a role in this renewed enthusiasm.

At the grassroots level, businesses built around the sport are seeing tangible growth. David Silberman, cofounder of PingPod, which operates table tennis venues across the north-eastern US, describes the film as a clear catalyst. He says customer data shows a sharp rise in interest since the movie’s Christmas Day release, with new reservations increasing by as much as 40% year on year and existing players spending more time at the tables.

Silberman’s connection to the film goes beyond its impact on his business. In 2022, he began playing regularly with Marty Supreme director Josh Safdie at PingPod’s Midtown Manhattan location. Safdie, whom Silberman describes as a keen but still-developing player, was drawn to the sport’s history and its reputation as an underappreciated discipline. That fascination is reflected in the film’s portrayal of table tennis as a world of intensity, marginal characters and raw ambition.

Professional organisers believe the film has helped reposition the sport in the eyes of a younger, culture-driven audience. Matt Parker, senior vice-president for marketing at MLTT, says the league had already been building momentum, but Marty Supreme has introduced table tennis to people who may never have considered attending a match. The league’s first event following the film’s release, held in Portland, Oregon, sold out and attracted more than 2,000 spectators, marking the highest attendance weekend in its history.

Elite players have welcomed the renewed attention, while also expressing cautious optimism about its long-term impact. Lily Zhang, a six-time US national champion and four-time Olympian, describes the current moment as overdue. In November, Zhang became the first woman to top MLTT’s power rankings, a milestone she hopes will help shift perceptions of the women’s game as well as the sport as a whole.

Despite her achievements, Zhang notes that professional table tennis remains poorly understood in the US. Many Americans are surprised to learn that it is an Olympic sport, let alone a viable career path. She says casual players often underestimate the technical and physical demands of the professional game, assuming that basement experience translates easily to elite competition. This gap in understanding, she argues, has long limited financial opportunities for top-level players.

A recent high-profile interview highlighted this disconnect. Actor Timothée Chalamet, who portrays Marty Reisman in Marty Supreme and won a Golden Globe for the role, was asked whether his training might qualify him for the US Olympic team at the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Chalamet quickly dismissed the idea, noting that even years of preparation left him nowhere near the level required. The exchange, widely shared online, underscored how little the broader public grasps the intensity of the professional sport.

Social media is playing its own role in reshaping perceptions. Viral clips of professional matches, featuring lightning-fast rallies and extreme spin, have drawn millions of views and left many viewers stunned by the sport’s speed and precision. MLTT officials believe this exposure, combined with the planned introduction of regulated wagering in the coming months, could further deepen fan engagement.

Beyond the US, the film’s influence is also being felt within established table tennis communities. In Vancouver, Luba Sadovska, co-owner of the North Shore Table Tennis Club and a former Czechoslovakian national team player, says Marty Supreme has prompted both nostalgia and reflection. Her club has seen former players returning to the sport, reconnecting with skills and passions they left behind years earlier.

Sadovska recently organised a hardbat doubles tournament inspired by a key moment in the Marty Reisman story, when traditional players struggled against opponents using newer sponge paddles. The event, she says, fostered laughter, camaraderie and a strong sense of belonging, qualities that often define real-life table tennis more accurately than the film’s darker, angrier themes.

At the same time, Sadovska believes the film has sparked important conversations about what is mythologised in sport and what is overlooked. While cinematic portrayals often emphasise rage and lone genius, she argues that elite table tennis rewards emotional control, patience and mental resilience. Displays of anger, she notes, are considered a weakness at the highest level.

That emphasis on focus and mental strength underpins the sport’s growing recognition as a tool for wellbeing. At the Vitality Pong Neuro Active Clinic, which Sadovska co-founded, table tennis is used to support people living with Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and those recovering from strokes. The rapid decision-making, coordination and reflexes required by the game can help improve cognitive function and emotional balance.

Silberman echoes these benefits, pointing to research suggesting that regular play may help slow neurodegenerative decline. He argues that table tennis offers something rare: a sport that is accessible, social and deeply beneficial to both physical and mental health. With PingPod reaching a valuation of $50m in 2024, he believes the business case and the social case for the sport are now aligned.

As Marty Supreme continues to attract audiences and conversation, those within the table tennis world hope the spotlight will endure beyond the film’s awards season. For players, organisers and fans alike, the current surge feels less like a passing trend and more like long-awaited recognition. Whether this cultural moment translates into lasting support for professional athletes and grassroots development remains to be seen, but for now, American table tennis is finally enjoying its time at the table.