Puma makes ping pong cool

Table tennis. A deeply underrated sport consigned, for most men, to a once annual, sweat-inducing knockabout while on summer jollies.

Shame, really, because every man fancies himself as a bit of a star at the old bat and ball, but it simply lacks the style of golf, football and it's older, richer brother, tennis.

Step forward Puma who, through a stroke of genius, have reimagined the ping pong paddle with these funky designs that breathe life into the sport. Cruelly, they're not available to buy, but we're currently in the process of begging Puma to make that right by putting these nifty bats into production.

At the moment the paddles are simply part of a wider advertising campaign for the sportswear giants focusing on The After Hours Athlete. By that they mean those of us who toil away at table football, pool and ten pin bowling come sundown, a few drinks in. The kind of sport that demands over-exuberant celebration at all minor glimpses of success and skill.

Anyway, the rather slick advert is below and Puma have set up a new social networking type thingummy as part of the campiagn. Got room for more social networking? 'Course you have!

(Visit www.puma.com/social)