How Has Softball Changed

Superior Essays
“Although many people assume that softball was derived from baseball, the sport’s first game actually came about because of a football game” (History 1). Softball was invented on Thanksgiving day in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois by a group of Yale and Harvard alumni. They were all just sitting around waiting for the outcome of the Yale vs. Harvard football game, when one of the alumni threw a boxer's glove at a harvard supporter. The supporter swung at the glove and everyone was interested by the act of the stick hitting the glove. George Hancock, a reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade, yelled out, “Play Ball”, and the first softball game began. They literally used a boxing glove as a ball and a broom stick in place of the bat. Softball has changed from ancient times to today. Along the way, softball has impacted the course of history, had famous players play outstanding games in their careers, and has been played recreationally or at a competitive level. Like every other sport throughout history, softball has changed in rules and execution since first being created in 1887. Softball was originally played by professional and non-professional baseball players during their off season as practice. Their practices were held inside which required them to make the field smaller than the regular baseball playing field. This is where the measurements between the bases in softball originated. At first, softball was named “indoor baseball” but in 1889 softball was moved outdoors and became its own individual sport. The rules were modified to seven innings to make it more competitive and be finished within a smaller playtime frame. Softball is a variation of baseball rules with an exception that the ball was bigger in size than a baseball and the bat was smaller than the ones used in baseball. Also, the distance between that bases in baseball are 90 inches apart and the ones on the softball fields are 60 inches apart. Reasons for this, is because the ball travels less distance in softball because it's heavier and therefore it's physically not possible to run to the base before the ball gets there. In addition, the evolution of bats evolved from broom sticks to wooden bats (which most baseball players used), to the invention of the first aluminum bat. Easton was the first company to create an aluminum bat in 1970. In that year, aluminum bats were known to be better than wooden bats because of the recoil inside the bat allowed the ball to bounce of it and go further: however, in 2000, composite bats hit the market. Composite bats are what most players use today. These bats have the ability to make the ball go farther when the ball hits the so called, “sweet spot”, or best and most accurate place to hit a ball, of the barrel. Also, composite bats are less dense than the aluminum bats which allows the person swinging to hit the ball at a higher speed because there is less mass to move. The rules between today and the past have not drastically changed except that we now have two different types …show more content…
It has impacted the world by becoming a popular international sport and the United States then, by giving us Americans, the gold and silver medals at the Summer Olympic games and now by allowing ou Olympic team to continue the quest for gold at the 2020 Tokyo games. We are very proud of the phenomenal athletes past and present, for their dedication, hard work and perseverance. The game of softball has acquired several historical players over the years, such as the amazing Olympic gold and silver medalist, Laura Berg. It’s women like this who inspires all of us to achieve and go above and beyond and follow our dreams. Softball has given me a chance to be apart of many awesome teams, build lasting friendships, and receive multiple trophies and medals. It has also given me some of the greatest memories that I get to remember for the rest of my life.Softball is a wonderful sport that has not only offered us, as a nation, and those around the world an abundance of greatness in so many ways but has also given back to us and more importantly, to me, so very much more in

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