The History of Softball

George Hancock, usually considered the inventor of the game, proceeded to draw out a diamond on the floor of the club, and the men joined in an indoor-baseball style game with a rolled up boxing glove and a broom handle. The men were so entertained by the sport that Hancock designed an oversized ball and rubber-tipped bat so that they could play on a regular basis. He even wrote up rules and began calling his sport “indoor baseball.”

Hancock’s new game began gaining popularity throughout Chicago, and the Farragut Club even formed a team to challenge other city gyms. The sport eventually made its way outdoors onto undersized baseball fields, and players then began referring to it as “indoor-outdoor.” Hancock created special new rules to adapt the game for outdoor play, and the first official Indoor Baseball League of Chicago was established in 1889.

Around this time, indoor-outdoor was also flourishing in the Minneapolis area, where fire companies were the chief participants and the game was called “kitten ball.” The name was eventually changed to “diamond ball” before the name “softball” was suggested and adopted in 1926. The sport continued to spread and gain new fans and players, and the Chicago and Minneapolis teams were finally united in competition at the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago. The fair featured a 55-team tournament, and the subsequent expansion of the sport led to the creation of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) in 1934.

Women’s participation in softball continued to grow steadily, and the first women’s professional league was formed in 1976. Although the league disbanded only 4 years later, membership in the ASA continued to skyrocket, and increased media coverage and the birth of Olympic competition cemented softball’s status as one of America’s most popular sports.

Today, more than 40 million people play softball, and it is the number one team participant sport in the United States. The widespread appeal of the sport can be contributed to its ease of adaptation to any age or skill level. It involves just as much mental strategy and teamwork as baseball without the same amount of physical exertion, making it an ideal pastime for youth, adult, and senior leagues. Also, the smaller field dimensions and larger ball make for a faster-paced and more exciting game.

If you are interested in playing softball, contact your local Parks and Recreation Department and ask about leagues in your area. If you take some time to learn about the sport and give it a

try, you can find out for yourself why so many people have such passion and dedication to this great game.