Table Tennis Audience Sizes
You can't compare audiences then and now. There are too many variables: the times were different, Asia wasn't involved then, it wasn't in the Olympics, there weren't video games (or even television!), etc.
Ordinary Players Must Use Sponge to be Competitive?
For most of us "mortal" players, using sponge is not a requirement to be competitive. I don't think whether I use hardbat or sponge has any bearing on my rating. If you're 2300 or higher, than yes it starts making a difference and you would need every advantage you can get. But below that (and we're talking 98% of players), other factors are more important. Just look at the list of full time hardbat players on
hardbat.com - the average rating of hardbat players in sponge events is actually higher than the national average for sponge players. The belief that you must use inverted, or that you must even use sponge, is in my opinion a laughable myth that we have quite literally bought into. That said, I would never suggest that a promising junior player eschew inverted... a kid might be the next Olympic hopeful and so it wouldn't be wise.
Respect for the Table Tennis Legacy and Past Champions
The saddest thing about this "debate" between sponge and hardbat, is that it has separated the sport from its legacy. You don't hear baseball fans talking about how lame Lou Gehrig was... they talk about him with reverence. The world series is a big thing because it puts the winner in the company of the past greats. Table tennis, by contrast, has worked hard to distance itself from its own past, and rejected its legends as irrelevant. Whenever someone says ping pong is not a sport, we're fast to jump in with "oh no, that was back then... NOW we're really good, look at our fast paddles", and they just laugh harder. That, in my opinion, is a sure-fire recipe for guaranteeing our own obscurity. We should put all of the great champions in our glorious 80+ year history on the pedestal they deserve, and preserve, promote and enjoy the thrilling times they gave us. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening anytime soon.
