In 2015, the thought of pinball doesn't exactly conjure up risqué, transgressive associations. It's more likely to be reminiscent of grade-school birthday bashes or
Barcade experiences where drinking escalated friendly competition beyond its right proportion.
Historically, however, pinball went through a period between the 1940s and 1970s when major American cities like New York and Chicago banned it outright.
In an installment of its "American Obsessions" series,
Vice examines how the political suspicion of pinball as a mafia-backed gambling operation led to the intervention of Robert Sharpe, who successfully testified in court to overturn New York City's ban in 1976.
Sharpe, who worked in advertising, was brought in as a voluntary expert witness to demonstrate the skill and precision involved in the game. He ended up convincing the New York City Council to vote 6-0 to overturn the ban established by Mayor LaGuardia in the 1940s. From there, Sharpe testified against similar bans in Ohio, West Virginia and Texas.
Vice checks in with the Sharpe family and other pinball enthusiasts to get the story of the game's comeback, concluding its video with a trip to the 2014 annual Pinball Expo in Chicago. There, Sharpe watches as his now-adult son competes and cusses his brains out in frustration. Nothing untoward about that.
Check out the video over at
Vice.
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