In the summer of 1980, eight teams competed for the world’s first Wiffle® Ball title in Mishawaka, Indiana. Since then, this once tiny tournament has grown up to become the oldest, largest, and most prestigious plastic bat and ball event on the globe.
The World Wiffle® Ball Championship features five-person teams playing with perforated plastic Wiffle® Balls, on miniature ball fields with six-foot home run fences. Over the years, the event has been featured on ESPN SportsCenter, in ESPN The Magazine, Men’s Health, USA Today, and on Fox, CBS, ABC and NBC-TV, and in the book “101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out.” The tournament has hosted thousands of teams over four decades, including at regional stops in Baltimore; Los Angeles; Eugene, Oregon; Chicago; and Barcelona, Spain.
Needless to say, we are proud that this once small gathering is now recognized as one of the planet earth’s offbeat sporting treasures, with thousands of people having played in it — nationally and internationally over the past four decades.
Now, over one weekend in mid-July, the legendary World Wiffle® Ball Championship is played at Memorial Park’s massive 30-field wiffleball complex, in Midlothian, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
So, whether you are a kid — or a kid-at-heart — we look forward to seeing you in July, at the next World Wiffle® Ball Championship!
Wiffle® is a registered trademark of The Wiffle® Ball, Inc., Shelton CT. Click here to purchase Wiffle® Ball products.
