With all the Major sports out that are out there and some that are set to return, Major League Baseball is still in a limbo state on whether it returns. Wiffle ball, a game similar to the fans of the major sports have come to love, maybe the best alternative.
Yes, you saw it correctly, wiffle ball, which had its season just start on YouTube and is creating its own fanbase which people take seriously. I was casually scrolling through my recommended list on YouTube, looking for something to watch as I settled into bed and came across an MLW Wiffle Ball game. I was watching a group of young adults playing what is similar to baseball but with smaller, more narrow bats, and a plastic ball with a few holes to make it officially called a Wiffle ball. They have teams of about three or four players with the rules being similar to baseball and an actual strike zone that rests behind the batter. What first fascinated me was the professionalism of the league itself and the production quality of the video, making it seem as though I am watching something that should be under bright lights and large crowds. At the same time, these guys are having fun and have the field set up professionally in someone’s yard which really gives it a sandlot movie theme to it.
There are eight teams that make up the entire league and they are split up into two divisions consisting of four teams each. They have the official gear and team uniforms that they wear which really adds to the authenticity of it and makes it rooting for your favorite team easier. They have their own rules which I found on their website which definitely makes picking up the game even easier and if you already love baseball, then you won’t have to big of a problem adjusting. One of the things that stood out most to me performance-wise was the pitching, just how pitching in baseball is like an art, these wiffle ball pitchers can make it look the same with insane movement on pitches and accuracy. The players also have their own sense of passion for the game, as they show it in each game, making it entertaining to watch them yell in excitement when a pitcher makes a clutch pitch or a hitter doing a bat flip off of making a home run.
In the absence of Major League Baseball, this sport becomes the closest thing to it and is still reaching out to new fans discovering it. While it may take some time to get used to with rule differences and the feel of it all, it is definitely something to keep your eye on if you are desperately searching for baseball content. Even if baseball does return this year, I will definitely continue to watch these wiffle ball games as they have caught my interest. They also have live games on their Instagram which are just as entertaining as the YouTube videos, of course, they won’t have the high production quality as they make with their YouTube videos but they are good nonetheless. As I continue to watch this league and learn more about the players and teams, it definitely provides entertainment to any sports fan willing to learn something new.
Coast to Coast Network 