America’s First Professional Wiffle Ball League Launches 2026 Season With Celebrity Owners, Select Games on ESPN+ and Expanded TV Coverage; Tickets On Sale Now
Big League Wiffle Ball heads to Atlanta next weekend with celebrity owners, nationally streamed games and a new hometown franchise led by two names sports and music fans know well: Julio Jones and Nelly.
Fans can attend Opening Day festivities Sunday, June 7, at Assembly Studios, when the professional wiffle ball league opens its 2026 season and the new Atlanta Ballers franchise makes its debut at 1 p.m. against the Los Angeles Naturals, the league’s top team.
Jones, one of the most accomplished players in Atlanta Falcons history, co-owns the new franchise alongside Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Nelly. The pair plans to attend Opening Day and stop by games throughout the season, giving fans opportunities to spot the celebrity owners around the ballpark.
During his 10 seasons in Atlanta, Jones earned seven Pro Bowl selections, two First Team All-Pro honors and three Second Team All-Pro honors. He also set multiple NFL records, including the most receptions and receiving yards through a player’s first 90 games, and became the fastest player in league history to reach 9,000, 10,000, 11,000, 12,000 and 13,000 career receiving yards.
Nelly was one of the best-selling artists of the 2000s thanks to hits like “Hot in Herre,” “Ride Wit
Me” and “Dilemma,” securing three Grammys and nine Billboard Music Awards while making multiple appearances on TV and in films.
“Atlanta already has strong sports and entertainment scenes, and Big League Wiffle Ball brings both together in one place,” said Big League Wiffle Ball Founder Logan Rose. “Fans are going to walk into Assembly Studios and see fierce competition, famous faces and some of the best wiffle ball players in the country taking the field. There’s nothing else in sports quite like it.”
The Atlanta Ballers join a growing list of celebrity-backed Big League Wiffle Ball teams, including Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner’s Los Angeles Naturals, Dude Perfect’s Dallas Pandas, Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk’s New York Green Apples, Marc Lasry and David Blitzer’s Las Vegas Scorpions, David Adelman and Ron Biscardi’s Philadelphia Wiffle Club and Molly Bloom and Howard Warren Buffett’s Boston Harbor Hawks.
Big League Wiffle Ball’s 2026 season also leans heavily into the live experience. Each game day has two sessions – one from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and one from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. – with four games scheduled for each session.
League organizers also plan to incorporate fan-focused entertainment throughout the summer, including hot dog eating contests, talent competitions and interactive moments involving players and on-field personalities.
The league uses a “medium-pitch” format designed to create more contact and faster gameplay, leading to fewer walks and strikeouts and more on-field action.
In addition to national partnerships with ESPN and Fubo Sports Network, Big League Wiffle Ball has inked local TV deals with Gray Media, which covers Georgia, Arizona, Minnesota, Ohio, Hawaii, Alaska and other markets; NESN/SportsNet Pittsburgh, covering New England and western Pennsylvania; Chicago Sports Network; Angels Baseball TV in the Los Angeles region; and NBC Sports Bay Area.
Following the season opener, additional games will take place at Assembly Studios June 14, June 28, July 12 and July 26 — all Sundays.
For more about Big League Wiffle Ball or to purchase tickets, check out BLWiffleBall.com or follow developments on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.
For sponsorship inquiries or general questions, email LRose@blwwiffleball.com.
Discover more from Arizona Progress Gazette
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.