Wiffleball has been around since 1953 when Jerry Driggs wanted to keep his house from being destroyed by baseballs. His response was to create a plastic ball and bat so that his sons could play risk-free baseball in the yard.
Over time, wiffleball has continued to gain popularity as a game that could be played at the beach, a cookout, etc. It’s also friendly to all ages, thus begging the question: should wiffleball have its own professional league?
There are plenty of leagues and tournaments around the country, mostly gaining popularity through YouTube or local media outlets. With these leagues gauging interest from around the nation, it would seem credible to allow a small professional league to form.
As a result, this allows for a different form of interest from baseball fans around the world. With pitches reaching north of 10 feet in horizontal movement in both directions, it creates a new dynamic that allows for great pitching exhibitions. It also creates a happy balance of pitching duel and slugfest, which is a constant area of focus for the MLB. People can strike out 12 batters in a game, giving up nine runs, and still be considered to have had a good showing.
Along with the entertainment value of the game itself, this wiffleball league could introduce managers that normally would not hold such positions in the majors. As a result, you’re pulling in fandom from respective markets. For example, having someone like David Ortiz managing a team could attract fans from the Boston market, while a guy like Prince Fielder could pool from multiple fan bases.
It’s not just stricken to baseball either, as wiffleball reaches many audiences. You could theoretically bring in a former player from another sport, therefore pooling from a completely new audience.
Players can be just normal people capable of creating content for the league itself. They do not need to be the best athlete, nor would they have to have training camps like most leagues. They can be from the ages of 18 and older, with no age limit.
Because, with wiffleball, age is merely a number.
Wiffleball has great potential of being a small-time professional league that could generate interest in the future for the youth. Baseball has been around for over 120 years, and having a sub-league to which the ball and bat are different could lead to another possible avenue for the MLB to make money.
Not everyone can become an outstanding ballplayer, but everyone can pick up and wiffleball and have fun.
As for the season, it would not be long either. The league could be held either in the summer or winter. Since the fields are not big and would not need a lot of seating, the league could use indoor facilities if they choose to have a winter league.
If they wanted to do it in the summer, it would make for a great month or two for a network. ESPN has been known to have Cornhole and Spikeball tournaments on their airwaves during the shutdown of sports, as well as during the summertime. Even when baseball is proficient in the summer, wiffleball could come on during the earlier afternoon hours of the day, or even in the morning before the MLB airs their games.
Another league would not hurt professional sports, especially since this league would not involve athletes and coaches. It would help create a motive of a family-friendly sport that is capable of having just the average person be credible to participating.
It would also create another form of revenue for networks, and possibly the MLB if they were to help fund the league.
