WhirlyBall Lands in Brookfield and Yes, It's for Adults

As the autumn cold and dead leaves descend upon us, most sports fans are focused firmly on football – the bloody fight for glory on the unforgiving turf, the Packer’s quest for gridiron greatness, the immortal battle of man against man in physical contest – but the true athletes have their minds set on a different sport, a new and revolutionary game of renown and sophistication: WhirlyBall.

This “one-of-a-kind social experience” opened a new location on Oct. 7 in Brookfield Square, at 185 S. Moorland Road. The new WhirlyBall location is two stories and contains 12 bowling lanes, a multi-level LaserTag arena, event spaces (for when you have an event and need a space), a restaurant and bar called The Pivot Room, and above all, obviously, two WhirlyBall courts.

What is WhirlyBall, you ask? How does it work? Can I, as an adult, play it? Or is it meant for children, and by playing it I would make a fool of myself?

And here are you answers:

WhirlyBall is a sport involving bumper cars, little lacrosse scoopers, a wiffle ball and basketball nets. You and your team of companions squad up, each of you driving bumper car with a lacrosse scooper in hand. Your goal is to pass the wiffle ball around and eventually get it into your team’s net at the end of the field. Two points per goal. Three points if you get it from half court. And after every point, the other team gets the ball and has a chance to drive it down the court. Cars get bumped, wiffleballs get tossed, and joy gets found.

And to the question of whether this sport is appropriate for adults, the answer is absolutely yes.

Last year, the Chicago Tribune spoke to Sean Roberts, a local WhirlyBaller and noted adult, who said, “At the end of the day, you’re an adult in a bumper car using a little kid’s Wham-O Trac Ball scoop to shoot a whiffle ball at a hole in the backboard. You can’t go wrong with that. That’s just too much fun.”

That’s a very good quote, Mr. Roberts. You speak for grown men and women everywhere, who wish to ball whirly with their friends. So fear not, adults, the new WhirlyBall welcomes you with open arms.

But if you are a child or the parent of a child or just happen to know some children who could use entertainment advice, WhirlyBall is also available to children taller than 4’6” and the LaserTag arena is available to anyone over the age of eight.

So now, thanks to the beneficence of fortune, Milwaukeeans finally have a brand-new place to engage in that epic contest of grit and determination known as WhirlyBall. Or to bowl. Or to LaserTag. Or just to drink. WhirlyBall has it all.