Wiffle Ball: Summer's Greatest Pastime

By Andrew Musur on July 7, 2015

The fans crack their peanuts as the players take the field. There are no gloves and the crack of the bat sounds a little different than normal: that’s because these boys are playing wiffle ball.

The legend of wiffle ball stems from Fairfield, Connecticut, during 1953. According to wiffle.com, David N. Mullany designed a ball that could curve easily for his 12-year-old son. The game got its name when his son and friends played with the ball and would refer to strikeouts as a “whiff,” hence wiffle ball.

For over 60 years wiffle ball has been America’s pastime. Groups of neighborhood kids would gather at the park or in the alley. A plastic bat and a plastic ball are all you need to play–pretty simple. Games of baseball and softball were hard to put together, as teams needed so many players and the possibility of breaking a window was much higher.

I’ve played wiffle ball for as long as I can remember. Every summer a group of kids on my block would gather at the local grade school baseball field and pick teams. We didn’t exactly follow the official wiffle ball rules, and used runners, but that only made it more interesting. We allowed leadoffs and, if we had enough players, steals. The games would last until it was too dark to see, and they would continue all summer long.

Sure we kept score, but winning or losing didn’t hold any weight during our childhood days. We were just playing for the love of the game. Even when the baseball fields were in use, we would be able to put together makeshift wiffle ball fields in someone’s backyard. There’s nothing like taking a pitch yard, or climbing the fence to rob someone of a homer.

As we grew older, us neighborhood kids started to create our own paths. High school approached and many of us would be attending different schools, summers went by and no wiffle ball was played. Phones and computers took over the lives of our generation, and less and less people played pickup games of any sort, especially wiffle ball. Times did change and those days of wiffle ball came to a tragic end, but that didn’t mean my passion for the game had been destroyed.

I taught many of my younger cousins the rules of wiffle ball, and they picked up on it rather quickly. I taught them the basics and we went from there. Fourth of Julys were routinely filled with wiffle ball games, and that same love of the game I experienced as a kid resonated in my teenage days. It was a joy to see my younger cousins picking up the game I was taught at such a young age. There’s nothing quite like taking a pitch deep, or mowing down batters left and right.

As I grew older my yearning for knowledge about the game grew. I spent hours researching videos online, learning how to throw some of the filthiest pitches in the game, figuring out the real rules and even taking a look at some homemade wiffle ball parks.

All of this knowledge only pushed my love for the game I had once played every summer day as a child. Though I am older now and do not have the ability to call up all of my neighbors and start a wiffle ball game, that doesn’t mean there are not opportunities for me to showcase my skills. With thousands of summer wiffle ball tournaments across the country, I have always been tempted to put together a team and compete.

But first I might have to learn how to get a hit off a pitcher like this.

Sport Science: Wicked Wiffle

Wiffle Ball

One summer I even tried to build my own wiffle ball stadium in my backyard. I had all the blue prints and supplies to do it, but unfortunately the shape of my yard kept me from finishing the stadium. However, I still love throwing the plastic ball around with my father every once in a while. It is great to still play the game that had such a big impact on my childhood. I encourage everyone to get off of their smartphone and get outside to play one of the simplest and most exciting backyard games there is. You won’t be disappointed!

If you are ever bored this summer or anytime when the weather is beautiful, pick up a plastic bat and ball, call your friends and play some wiffle ball!

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format