EDMONDS, Wash. — It's about as unassuming as you could imagine: a ranch-style home in Edmonds, with trees surrounding the property. The front yard is so peaceful you can hear the insects announcing their presence in the muggy summer evening. The backyard is a different story.
"That ball is in play past the pitcher, Alex Harden coming up to it and that'll be an RBI single for Aaron Schofield," Jack Blahaus announces through his headset, perched in a man-made broadcast booth in the near corner of the yard.
"We're in Edmonds, Washington, in my parents' backyard," he said. "We just started playing in the backyard in June of 2020 and it took off since then."
A full wiffle ball league, the American Wiffle Association (AWA) built from pandemic boredom. But its evolution over the past four years is nothing short of revolutionary.
"The first year we played, we cut down some trees so that the fencing was all tree stumps so it was kind of dangerous, but every single year, we've kind of evolved at least the physical aspect of the league," he said.
Twice a week for six months, the Blahaus house becomes the home field of the AWA. So, how do Jack's parents feel about their backyard takeover?
"I thought that they wouldn't be on board but honestly, I think my dad is the biggest supporter for it," he said. "You know, most backyards just aren't being used, and every Monday and Wednesday, he has a bunch of random dudes coming over to play wiffle ball."
This isn't just any neighborhood game, it's an entire production with multi-angled cameras, a play-by-play booth, producers, and a technical director. It's no surprise they're reaching a massive audience.
"We've got almost 2 million followers across all socials now and a little over a billion views total in four years since we've been doing it, so it's getting up there."
So what's the draw?
"I honestly don't know," he laughed. "We just keep posting videos. It's kind of a cool concept because everyone kind of knows what wiffle ball is and then when you see people like us taking it this seriously, maybe that's the draw, I don't know."
Perhaps it's the shock and awe of seeing a miniature baseball field built into someone's suburban backyard, complete with real baseball fencing, foul poles, and a bar with beer kegs in left center field called Club 65. It could also be the short-form silliness that ensues on their social platforms. Either way, at its core, it's primarily a way for Blahaus and his boys to blow off some steam, but the commissioner is always thinking of ways to grow the game.
"I always just take it day by day because I didn't think we'd get here at this point. There's a lot of ideas I have like first, a wiffle bar where you can play games not at your parents' backyard and maybe sell some tickets," he said. "It's really just day by day and it surprises me every time we go live."