Softball: A History
Table of Contents
In the Beginning
who then deflected it with a broom handle. The game then began.In the next week George Hancock, the man accreditted with founding softball, developed a proper ball and bat to be used in the games. As the ball was so soft, no gloves were used. The boating club set up rules and a league for the new game, which quickly spread outside of the glove. Under the new name of "Inside-Outside", softball was played outdoors and the first set of rules published in 1889. The first league outside of America was formed in Toronto in 1897.

An Indoor Baseball Player in 1907
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kitten ball, pumpkin ball, and diamond ball
ball size, the field dimensions from the boat club were adopted.In 1926, the name "softball" was coined. At that point six different names for the game. In the 1930's, there were several different versions of softball, played with different names and different rules. In 1934, Joint Rules Committee on Softball standardized the rules and name for softball.
Sixteen-inch softball, a.k.a "mush ball" or "super-slow pitch", is the version of softball most similar to Hancock's game. As the ball is so soft, players never wear gloves. Sixteen-inch softball is played frequently in Chicago.
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An International Game

Softball has spread worldwide since World War II: it was introduced to Australia in 1939 and the Netherlands after the war ended. In 1972, during the filming of A Touch of Glass, softball was introduced to the U.K.
In 1991, the Olympic Committee decided to include women's fastpitch softball in the 1996 Summer Olympics. In 2005, softball, along with baseball was voted out of the Olympics.
Softball Blog Posts
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- tim in print | Summer Softball Playoffs | tim o'brien photos
- A couple of weeks ago, I shot a local summer softball playoff game. A pair of images from the shoot made it to the paper in Five down, two left in Carr...
- Essequibo receives softball cricket gear from GSL : Kaieteur News
- Darshan Persaud receiving the equipment on behalf of Essequibo thanked the Sponsors and Guyana Softball League (GSL) for the initiative. Persaud said that this boost will bring joy to the kids who are home on holiday from school and it ...
Softball Today
Softball is also widely played in high school. Almost all (if not all) high schools in the country have at least a varsity softball team and many colleges have softball programs. There are many girls both in the U.S. and in other countries who want to, or do, play softball professionally. This is why softball should be re-enstated for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Guestbook
mdagenais wrote...
Hey bconnor11,
You definitely put up a great lens here! As someone who is involved in softball as much as I am, it's always nice to read up on the facts and history of the game and understand a little more how we got to where we are today when it comes to this wonderful sport!
Mark Malone wrote
Wow, great lens. Softball has become a big part of my life lately, so it was interesting to learn more about the history. To Faiz: I cannot speak for all countries, but I know softball is big here in the United States. My Softball Slowpitch Bats blog might be of interest to you too. Thanks again!">
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