The History of Softball

A softball infield, being substantially smaller than a baseball infield, is 7,200 ft2 (Trifoso). This is a huge difficulty because the infielder has less time to react to the ball and get the batter out at first. An infielder in softball must get it to first base in 3.2 seconds, which is more than a second faster than a baseball infielder would (Trifoso). That is super strenuous to do because if you have one make one little mistake, the batter is safe at first.

Attention Material: What do you think would be happening on Thanksgiving Day in 1887? Most of you are probably thinking; eating turkey, having family over, or already thinking about Christmas. Well George Hancock had a different agenda. He created the game of softball on that cold November day.

think softball as a more of a “tough man” sport. Or a person that plays volleyball,he/she

Ever since 1887 when softball first became a sport, individuals compared the two. In the past, baseball was the most watched sport in the United States, which earned baseball the nickname of America's’ Pastime. During that time, individuals did not take women’s athletic abilities seriously, for which no females

Softball for many people is the way of life, we eat, sleep, and play softball. Softball is a great sport for a lot of girls that want to be active and even stay out of trouble. Softball can be great for starting conversation because on the field you always have to talk, so your teammates now what is going on and where everyone is on the field. But when you play softball you always have a rush of enjoyment, and nerves.

Softball is a sport that is known throughout the United States and the world. Softball originated on Thanksgiving Day in Chicago in 1887. The game was actually said to have begun as an indoor game. Softball was started by a group of men who had gathered at a club to watch the Harvard vs. Yale football game. When the news came that Yale had defeated Harvard, 17-8, one Yale supporter, overcome with enthusiasm, picked up an old boxing glove and threw it at a nearby Harvard alumni, who promptly tried to hit it back with a stick. This gave George Hancock, a reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade, an idea. He suggested a game of indoor baseball. Naturally, Hancock's friends thought he was talking about playing a game outdoors, not indoors.

The All American Girl’s Professional Baseball League both challenged and reinforced traditional women’s roles. The AAGPBL only lasted for eleven years, but its effects are not forgotten. Towards the beginnings of the lead, along with the influential leaders, the players were the ones to make it famous. The AAGPBL made women athletics a possibility today and helped America to emerge to why women athletes are necessary. After the men returned from war, the league began to decline and the women were eventually forced back into being housewives and back into the households.

The start of the game of baseball is unknown, but some people believe they know when it started. The game of baseball believes to start in England. The start of baseball was around 1760, the game was called Rounder. Rounder had the same rules as baseball today, but it had its difference. The biggest difference was that a fielder had to throw the ball at the runner to get them out. The game changed in 1845. A group of people got together to talk about the game. They wanted to make the game safer. They changed the rules of the fielder. He would not throw at the baserunner anymore; they must tag the baserunner with the ball. The equipment changed as well when they made the rule change. They started to use a harder ball.

In the 1940s during World War II the Chicago Cubs owner, Phillip K. Wrigley arranged the U.S’s very first women’s professional baseball league. Some men were leaving the teams to go attend the Army and Navy to help end World War II. Phillip was worried that the president, Franklin D. Roosevelt would cancel Major League Baseball (MLB) until the war was over, and fans would permanently become disinterested with the game. So as a substitute he created the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Phillip then organized tryouts, and they were held in May of 1943. The Cubs baseballs scouts invited 280 women to contend for a position on the teams, 60 of the women made a team. But before they could play they were sent to charm school,

Baseball and softball are similar, but very different in many ways. Most people think baseball and softball are basically the exact same sports, the only difference being girls play softball, and boys play baseball. The fact is, there are many differences as well as similarities in the two sports. Both of the sports use a round ball, the object is to hit the ball, run around the bases, and score at home plate.

Baseball was one of these things that women picked up to keep the game alive. In 1856, baseball became America’s pastime. The league had strict rules for the women. They had to wear lipstick, couldn't have short hair and take classes that teach them to be charming. Pitchers for the league threw underhand. Many people attended the games because they were interested in seeing girls play ball. It could be said that the public opinion of people during this time about women was altered. Seeing them be able to freely play sports and well proved that girls could have different roles. This source was very good and helpful in explaining the roles of women in baseball during World War 2 and the differences they faced compared to men.

In the year 1943, Philip K. Wrigley founded the All-American Girls Softball League. He formed the league to entertain baseball fans while many of the men were away fighting WWII. What began as a softball league transformed to baseball league that eventually became known as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The league was designed with fifteen teams made up of twenty to twenty-five women spread out across America. The league existed for twelve years, from 1943 to 1954. This was a period of time when women were not supposed to have professional careers outside of the home, much less careers that involved professional athletics. Girls were expected to grow up to be wives and mothers, not baseball players. The women of the AAGPBL were athletic pioneers who pursued and captured their dreams of playing professional baseball in much the same way as men had for decades.

Baseball was made before the civil war. They didn’t have gloves either. In 1871 the first baseball league was made. Jackie Robinson was the first african american to ever play in the make the major league. He was the best person in the major league baseball. Abner Doubleday was the person that created baseball. Alexander Cartwright was the person that created the rules for baseball. The first woman group started in 1866. The first baseball team was in connecticut in 1869. The first ever played baseball game was in 1871. Alexander also created the baseball diamond. The first baseball game was held in New

Doubleday created the game called baseball. You have to have a glove and a baseball bat to play

Although men and women’s basketball are closer to being equal than softball and baseball, the leagues are still separate. America has a women’s league and a men’s league and never the two shall meet. A woman is not allowed in the NBA since she has the WNBA. The separation is strong, obvious, and seemingly permanent. Like basketball, they created softball to play indoors during the winter. The game earned the name softball and due to its easier properties was often “regarded as baseball’s stepchild” (Ring, p. 60). They passed the game down to women, as it seemed safe enough to limit the risk of injury. And so the separation began.