The Money Player: The confessions of America's greatest table tennis champion and hustler

by Marty Reisman

Autobiography of eccentric mid-century American table tennis champion Marty Reisman.

Genres: Nonfiction

241 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Sonia Langarica · Rating 5 out of 5]

SOOO good. Marty writes the way Anthony bourdain narrated.
so glad I bootlegged this book to read a physical copy, looking forward to watching Marty supreme

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a fascinating human and athlete, a gifted man who did not abide by the rules, who kept his childlike wonder. I discovered a side of tennis table I didn’t know.
The book goes in every direction but it’s not messy. I had jazz in mind while reading it, free jazz, where there are no structure but in the end it makes sense.
Now I can’t wait to see what part of his life Josh Safdie will choose for his movie.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

All one needs
the tales and mystery of the biggest hustle of the cut throat world of ping pong

where if you think boxing or the green berets are for sissies
this could be the hobby for you

Then again what do I know, I once watched Donald Trump and Richard Simmons play badminton

They did a creepy documentary of the weirdo:

Fact or Fiction: The Life and Times of a Ping Pong Hustler is a chronicle of the final three years of Marty Reisman's life, a former international table tennis champion-turned-money player.

Pursuing notoriety through his idiosyncratic lifestyle and motivated by his love of fame and Ping Pong, he inadvertently has to face his biggest fear: mortality. Shot over three years, the film follows Marty - a complex mix of childlike excitement, eccentric narcissism and constant charm - as he negotiates between pride, the denial of old age, past defeats and the decline of his fame and fortune, as well as his devoted wife Yoshiko's health, all while clinging onto the hope that his own life and career are just beginning to blossom.

The film's observational style, combined with rare archive footage and interviews with key New York and London society characters such Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson and eminent psychotherapist George Weinberg, work to tell the story of one of America's greatest and most unconventional sports stars at a critical juncture in his life, whilst addressing the wider themes of mortality, immortality and the pursuit of legacy and legend.

Who needs Ferrari's with a chrome plated backgammon board in the back next to your Lanier Dictaphone?

[Caitlin Buxbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part, fascinating. Entertaining. A few dry spells and some abrupt topic changes but overall worth the read. Can't wait for the movie!