Whitney Levine 22: Wiffleball

Growing up my dad would always play sports, so growing up he would always play wiffle ball with us and we would play in the tennis court and have all these made up rules. We would turn off the lights and we had a lot of rules. If we hit it over the left side of the fence, its three outs, but if it’s the right side you can keep going. Its kinda like baseball but a little different. Say for example you are pitching, if that person hits the ball and cant make it to first base, if it hits the person running, that person is out. We would always play it every holiday.”

Context: This story was told by Whitney Levine in our Folklore class. She is American/ Russian heritage. She played the game throughout her childhood on holidays. The rules of this game were passed down through her family and everyone in the family is aware of this variation of the game Wiffleball. This game holds a lot of sentimental value for her and it makes her feel connected to her family. Sharing a game with family encourages bonding and inspires a sense of belonging in people.