Kyle Schultz and Tommy Coughlin – MLW Wiffleball
As a kid Kyle Schultz lived and breathed wiffleball. He, his two brothers, and a couple of neighbors would spend countless hours playing wiffleball every day in the summer. But unlike countless wiffleball loving teenagers before them, they decided start posting on YouTube. Equipped with a strike zone, outfield fence, a couple of wiffleballs and bats, Kyle and his best friend Tommy Coughlin began Major League Wiffleball in 2009 based out of Brighton, Michigan. Since then they have amassed over 640 thousand subscribers and more than 100 million views on YouTube let alone countless views on Instagram and TikTok. From a league that started with 5 players and two teams, they have now grown to eight teams with over 50 players representing more than 10 states across the US. Although they have had major success, it didn’t happen without some bumps in the road. In 2017, when Kyle and Tommy were starting college, they had to make the decision to either let the league slip away or go all in on their dream. After a lot of consideration, they decided to commit to the future of the league and keep it going. Coughlin expressed, “We’re only 18. We have four years until we have our college degrees. We might as well put everything we have into this. If it develops into something, great. If not, at least we can say we gave it our all.”
After Kyle and Tommy decided to go all in, they wanted to have a permanent home field for the future. They found an open space in a local park and came to an agreement with the park for that space to become the new home of MLW Wiffleball; they called it “The Meadows”. Since then Kyle and Tommy have developed the league into a full scale production and captured the attention of millions. Thanks to the increased video quality and professional sports level broadcasts, that include commentary, instant replays, as well as different audience engaging segments. Their rise on YouTube has given them some amazing opportunities, such as hosting the last couple of championship series in NFL stadiums such as Sofi Stadium, Mercedes Benz Stadium, and AT&T Stadium the last couple of years in front of small crowds of die-hard fans. They have also had the opportunity of filming several games at numerous different unique wiffleball fields across the US.
One way that MLW is expanding their reach is through their wiffleball tournaments across 7 states. Over the last several years they have hosted tournaments for ages 10 and up from New York to Arizona. Schultz describes these events as “kind of a break for all these kids from their baseball teams, where everything is all serious and everyone is so tense.” The tournaments also serve as an opportunity for young players to showcase their abilities in hope to eventually play in MLW alongside their favorite players. As MLW continues to flourish Kyle and Tommy hope to eventually reach a stage where they have a network of different leagues across the United States. The league currently brings in revenue through their views on different platforms, as well as sponsorships, tournament fees, and merchandise sales. The continued league growth would give them financial freedom to continue to build in the wiffleball community and beyond. From a couple of kids playing the game they love, Kyle Schultz and Tommy Coughlin can proudly say they have had more success than they ever imagined, and hope to reach new heights not-too-distant future of MLW.
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Hearing a story in which people have to decide between their dream and something else, and the people make the dream work, is always something I enjoy. Stories like this are also much better when the creators take it far, like how MLW is playing in major stadiums.
This is funny because I have actually watched a lot of their videos! They have made the simple game of wiffleball into an effective business and competitive sport, while also entertaining a massive following.