The family that turned a backyard game into a televised pro league now owns the ball the game is played with. On October 20, Sports Business Journal reported that the Rose family, whose sons Logan and Carson launched Big League Wiffle Ball, acquired the Wiffle brand and its intellectual property from The Wiffle Ball, Inc., the Shelton, Conn., maker of the yellow bat and perforated plastic ball. The sale ends what SBJ described as "73 years and three generations of Mullany family ownership." Financial terms were not disclosed.
Most of the coverage leaned on nostalgia. The line in SBJ's report that matters more to anyone pricing the deal is a short one: "The two businesses will remain separate." The same family now controls both a league that uses the Wiffle name and the company that owns it, and nothing on the record says how those two will share the value of the brand.
What Changed Hands
Per SBJ, the acquisition includes the rights to the Wiffle name and its signature yellow bat and perforated ball. Wiffle products will continue to be made in Shelton, where the company's more than a dozen employees will be retained. Founded in 1953, Wiffle has sold more than 100 million balls, the company said.
SGB Media reported that under the new ownership Wiffle will keep its name, products, Shelton headquarters, employees and commitment to American manufacturing, and that the company expects to keep operating largely as it does today, serving its existing customers and suppliers.
David Mullany, president of The Wiffle Ball, Inc., and Stephen Mullany, its vice president, will stay in their full-time roles for a period before moving into advisory roles, SBJ reported.
"Wiffle has been an enormous part of our family for three generations, but its impact is felt well beyond our family and Shelton, Connecticut," David Mullany said, per SGB. "The Rose family shares our love of the game and we are excited for them to carry the Wiffle legacy forward."
The Buyers
Logan Rose becomes CEO and Carson Rose chief growth officer. Their mother, Jordan Rose, will serve as board chair. SGB identifies her as founder of Rose Law Group, and SBJ reports she is a minority owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks and TGL's Motor City Golf Club, and a partner with Dude Perfect in Big League Wiffle Ball's Dallas Pandas franchise.
Big League Wiffle Ball has grown into a professional league with 10 franchises and games on ESPN2 and ESPN+, according to SBJ. The family plans to expand Wiffle's leadership team to support operations and long-term growth.
"Almost everyone has a Wiffle Ball memory, whether it's a home run derby in a cul-de-sac, turning your backyard into a field or playing at the beach with friends," Logan Rose said, per SGB.
Neither report says how ownership is split among the Roses, whether any outside investors joined the purchase, or how it was financed.
Two Companies, One Name
The deal puts a league and a consumer products company under common family ownership while keeping them legally apart. That structure leaves several commercial questions unanswered. Neither the Roses nor the Mullanys disclosed Wiffle's revenue, and there's no public description of how the league will license the Wiffle name, what it will pay for that right, or whether those terms change now that the same family sits on both sides.
The company framed the plan in growth terms. SGB quoted it as saying the acquisition will preserve the brand's tradition "while continuing to build the game's growing reputation as a competitive sport and introducing it to new players, fans, and communities." The Roses also said they intend to explore expanding the Wiffle brand into new communities and "building a lifestyle around one of America's great backyard traditions," according to SGB.
For a youth sports audience, the relevance is the path from casual play to organized play. SGB describes Wiffle as "a staple of American backyards" whose bat and ball have connected "generations of families and friends." A pro league on ESPN2 and ESPN+ gives that backyard base something to watch, and a family that owns both the league and the brand is positioned to steer the product toward the competitive game, which is exactly what the company's own statement says it wants to keep building. How much of that value the ball maker captures, versus the league, is the part the deal leaves open.
Takeaways for Investors
The Price Wasn't Disclosed
SBJ reported that financial terms were not disclosed, and SGB said details of the transaction were not disclosed. Wiffle's revenue isn't public either, so there's no outside basis for valuing the brand.
The Separation Is the Key Term
SBJ reported that the two businesses will remain separate. How the league licenses the Wiffle name from a sister company is where the commercial value of the deal gets divided.
Manufacturing Stays Put
Production stays in Shelton, and more than a dozen employees will be retained, per SBJ. The new owners haven't signaled any change to how or where the product is made.
Watch the Leadership Hires
The family plans to expand Wiffle's leadership team. Who they bring in, and whether those hires come from consumer products or from sports media, will show where the Roses expect growth to come from.
