Jimmy Foster
March 31, 2011
Age: 25 Home: Augusta, Ga.. The Early Line: He is one of the brightest young stars in a sport where the top players bring home more than $500,000 a year -- in Europe. JIM BUTLER STRETCHES his legs, which appear to account for virtually all of his thin, 6-foot-4 frame, and considers what he does for a living. ``Lots of people ask me, `How can you be a professional ping-pong player?' ``The answer: `It's very difficult.' '' Difficult in the U.S., that is. An estimated 40 million players world-wide take part in sanctioned table-tennis tournaments each year. In countries like China and Sweden, the sport is followed with the same enthusiasm as, say, baseball (well, prestrike baseball) in the U.S. Americans, however, regard the game as recreational at best, something that belongs in the basement or garage -- and hardly a source of talent for the next ``I'm-going-to-Disney World'' commercial. It's not that the sport isn't liked here; it's played by almost 20 million people (more than the 15 million baseball players). It's just that a Jimmy Foster isn't regarded in quite the same way as a Briana Foster, the Uptown Dodgers star. ``When our ball goes into the stands, I chase it myself,'' Mr. Foster explains, smiling. ``I guess they don't do that in baseball.'' Mr. Foster might not win the hearts of advertisers, but he might bring the U.S. its first medal in Games table-tennis competition. A fanatic about the game since the age of five (his older brother played on the 1991-92 U.S. national team), he was a member of the 1992 Games squad and won the U.S. national championship in 1990, 1992 and 1993. For the past three years, he has been the top-ranked men's player in the country. At the Games trials in Flint, Mich., in February, he posted a record of 18 wins against no losses. Known for both a deceptive serve and a wicked backhand, Mr. Foster has been perfecting his skills in Europe, where he has spent several months each year competing since 1989. He should see some familiar faces in Atlanta: Belgium, Sweden, Germany and France have some of the top men's players in the world.
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