The SHOCKING History Of Softball
The history of softball. Where did it all begin?
The invention of softball is traced back to Thanksgiving Day, 1887. A group of about twenty young men had gathered in a Boat Club in Chicago. An announcement was made about a result of a football game. It was this announcement that sparked one man to pick up a boxing glove and throw it at someone. That person then hit it away with a pole.
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 it first began, now how did it evolve?
George Hancock made an over-sized ball and an under-sized bat with a rubber tip on the end. He wrote rules of a new game he called indoor baseball.
Indoor baseball spread fast internationally. Many played it to keep practicing during the winter months, a great alternative to playing outside in the freezing cold snow! When the weather became warmer, the game was moved outdoors and the new name indoor-outdoor was given to the sport. The sport exploded in popularity and Hancock published indoor-outdoor rules in 1889.
Another important event in the history of softball was when the game was limited to about an hours length, by cutting down the innings to seven. This happened because a fireman decided to adapt the game to keep his fellow firemen busy between fire calls.
The game was finally given the name softball 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.
An important year in the history of softball was 1933. This was when the Amateur Softball Association was founded. 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 mens world championships in the history of softball were played in 1966 in Mexico City and the first womens fast-pitch world championships in the history of softball were played the year before. 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!
For the full version of the history of softball, visit the Baseball Brainiac page "History Of Softball". The links can be found at the bottom of this article.
About the Author
There is so much to learn about baseball. Visit Major League Baseball Brainiac - a highly recommended source for baseball history, facts and information.
Source: http://site-city.com/articlems13