A Scottsdale, Arizona family has acquired The Wiffle Ball Inc., the Connecticut company that introduced its perforated plastic ball in 1953 and is known for its signature yellow bat. Jordan Rose and her two sons, Logan and Carson, are the new owners, taking the reins from the Mullany family that has run the business for three generations.
The deal brings together two very different Wiffle Ball stories under one roof. As reported by ABC15, Jordan Rose is president and CEO of Scottsdale-based Rose Law Group and will now also serve as chairman of the board of The Wiffle Ball Inc. Her son Logan, a 20-year-old sophomore at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, will lead the company as CEO, while 17-year-old Carson becomes chief growth officer. According to a release announcing the acquisition, the Rose family has acquired the iconic WIFFLE Ball brand of balls and bats, with Jordan Rose bringing more than three decades of business experience to the role.
Logan and Carson did not come to this cold. The brothers launched Big League Wiffle Ball in their Arizona backyard during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the release notes that venture has since grown into a national sports property with 10 professional teams and games broadcast on ESPN platforms. Despite the shared name and the Rose family's involvement in both, the businesses will remain separate, per Sports Business Journal.
Shelton Operations and Mullany Legacy Stay Put
The Wiffle Ball Inc. will keep its Shelton, Connecticut headquarters, its products, its name and its commitment to American manufacturing, the businesswire release states. David Mullany, the company's president when the acquisition was announced, and his brother Stephen Mullany, who served as vice president, represent the third generation to lead the company their grandfather founded in 1953. Both brothers will remain in full-time roles for a period before moving into advisory roles to help guide the transition, according to Sports Business Journal.
The acquisition includes rights to the Wiffle name along with its signature yellow bat and perforated ball, Sports Business Journal notes. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the outlet reported, and the manufacturing plant and its roughly 15 employees are expected to stay in Connecticut. The factory itself has deep roots there: the company moved to its Bridgeport Avenue space in Shelton in 1959, where it still operates today, according to a report from CT Insider.
New Owners Eye Growth Beyond the Backyard
The Rose family plans to expand Wiffle's leadership team with additional expertise to support operations and long-term growth, according to a report from sgbonline.com. The businesswire release adds that the Roses intend to explore opportunities to expand the WIFFLE brand into new communities and build out a lifestyle around the backyard tradition that has defined the brand for decades.
That tradition has already traveled well beyond American backyards. CT Insider reports that organized Wiffle Ball tournaments have grown in number and popularity in Connecticut over the past decade, and the game has reached an international level, with countries as far away as Spain participating, according to connecticuthistory.org.
Exactly how many Wiffle Balls have been sold over the decades depends on which account you believe. Sports Business Journal reported the company has sold more than 100 million balls, while CT Insider separately reported more than 60 million had been purchased. Either way, the brand's reach is substantial, and the new ownership group now inherits the task of carrying a nearly 73-year-old American manufacturing name into its next chapter while keeping production and its roughly 15 employees in Connecticut, with the factory operating in Shelton since 1959.
