A Brief History Of Softball
Posted on: January 6th, 2011
Early Softball History
Softball’s Roots
The history of softball began in 1887 after a group of young men had gathered in an Illinois boat club gymnasium to hear the final score of the Harvard-Yale game, which was played on Thanksgiving Day. Various versions of how softball came to pass have been passed on through the years but the most popular one involves George Hancock tying-up a boxing glove and using it as a ball. It was thrown underhand because it was so soft and no fielder’s gloves were necessary in that particular game. The bat in this instance was a broom handle. Hancock then used chalk to mark out a small diamond and the game commenced.
Hancock decided to create rules for the game of softball including a new bat and ball. The sport became extremely popular and was used as a means of keeping baseball players sharp and active during the cold winter months. A winter league was formed in 1889 but the popularity of softball resulted in it being played outdoors also. At this time, interestingly enough, softball was known as ‘Indoor-Outdoor’.
Making Changes
It is said that a fireman from Minneapolis names Lewis Rober was responsible for another change in he history of softball. He saw that it was an excellent way to keep his men busy but reduced the matches to seven innings to ensure the game could be ended quickly while still being competitive. The Minneapolis Park Board adopted the sport in 1913 and softball was soon a popular attraction in the state with games attracting thousands of spectators.
The name ‘softball’ was officially coined by a Denver YMCA official named Walter Hakanson. The game was presented in slow pitch format at the 1933 World’s Fair but the history of fast pitch softball had begun by then. In the 1940s, numerous softball games were played with a fast pitch and lengthened pitching distance as standard. However, the Joint Rules Committee on Softball made slow pitching part of the official rule book in 1953.
In 1972, softball made its mark on Europe when it was introduced to the United Kingdom. Since then, the history of softball has seen many changes to the sport. Fast pitch softball made a comeback in the 1990s when the women’s version of the sport was added to the 1996 Olympic games. Slow pitch softball was removed from the ISF official rules in 2002. The sport suffered a major blow in 2005 when the International Olympic Committee voted to drop both softball and baseball from the 2012 Olympic program.
Rules Of Softball
The rules of softball are similar to those of baseball with nine members on each team and 4 bases. One significant difference is the fact there are only seven innings in a match. Like in baseball, three strikes means a batter is out while four balls gives the batter a free base. A softball field is divided into the infield and outfield with designated fair and foul territories. Softball however, has numerous variations with different forms of the game having completely separate rules. For example, there are softball games where there can only be one strike and one ball. There are also games which forbid the stealing of bases and other forms of the sport where there are limited home runs.
There is also a rule that is sometimes used known as the ‘run ahead rule’. This basically ends the game at any point if one team is too far ahead of the other to avoid further embarrassment. In slow pitch softball, this means a team more than 20 runs behind after four innings automatically forfeit’s the game. NCAA rules are stricter with an eight run deficit after five innings decreed as being large enough for the game to be halted.
Successful Softball Teams
The International Softball Federation holds its world championships every four years with various categories of the sport contested including slow and fast pitch. There are also world cups held every four years in some categories. The most dominant team in the male history of softball are New Zealand though Australia won the last world championships. The United States are the all conquering women’s team with three Olympic titles and seven world championships.
