The history of softball. Have you ever wondered where it all began?

Softball originated from Chicago, on Thanksgiving Day, 1887. A group of about twenty young men had gathered in a Boat Club, to hear the outcome of a football game. After the winner was announced, a man picked up a boxing glove and threw it at someone. That person then hit it away with a stick.

George Hancock is known in the history of softball, as the man who shouted, “Let’s play ball!” He tied the boxing glove into a ball-like shape and used a broom handle as a bat.

That is how the idea of the game of softball was born. Now, how did this twisted version of baseball grow into the sport that it is today?

An over-sized ball, a slightly smaller bat with a rubber tip on the end and a set of rules for a game he called indoor baseball were later created.

Indoor baseball was prefered during the winter months, but when the weather became warmer, the game was moved outdoors and the new name indoor-outdoor was given to the sport.

Another important event in the history of softball was when a fireman decided to limit the game to seven innings lasting about an hour or so. This created the perfect game for his fellow firemen to play between fire call-outs.

The name softball was finally given to the game in 1926, after a Denver YMCA official suggested it. In 1933, softball was introduced to the rest of the world when it travelled with the world’s fair.

The Amateur Softball Association was founded in 1933. This marked an important year in the history of softball. The association brought standardized rules to the game, including rules about different age groups, sizes of balls and sizes of pitches.

In 1939, softball was introduced to Australia and Canadians introduced softball to the Netherlands after the Second World War. Later in 1962, softball was introduced to the United Kingdom, the first British womens softball league was established in 1983.

The first womens fast-pitch world championships in the history of softball were played in 1965 and the first mens world championships in the history of softball were played a year later in Mexico City. Softball world championship tournaments have been played every four years since 1970, and in 1996, womens softball became an Olympic medal event.

Today, million’s of people in the United States, and the rest of the world play the game of softball…me included!

Visit the Baseball Brainiac page “History Of Softball” for a bigger look at the history of softball. The links can be found at the bottom of this article.

Related baseball articles:

1. Get Wilson Softball Gloves
2. Becoming a Better Softball Hurler
3. Women In Baseball – An Era In Baseball History
4. What Mistakes You Can Avoid When Looking For The Best Softball Pitching Clinics
5. Wrigley Field – A Name Etched In History

Category: Baseball• Tags used in this article: George Hancock  History Of Softball  Indoor Baseball  Slowpitch  Womens Softball 

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