HistoryofSoftball

AliyahWeber
5114
6thgradeResearchPaper

Manypeopleloveplayingsoftballallaroundtheworldorevenwatchinggirlsplay.Some
girlsdontcareifitrainswhiletheyreplaying.AtaHarvardversusYalefootballgame,softball
wascreatedbytwelvemen.Softballwassopopularthat50countrieswereplayingthegameof
softballby1965.Softballandbaseballareverysimilar,softballwasinventedasaformof
baseball.Softballhaschangedovertheyears,suchas,therearemorepitchesgettinginvented
andmorerulesbeingmade.SoftballwasstartedindoorsataFarragutBoatClubon
Thanksgivingof1887.GeorgeHancockwasoneofthementhatcreatedthegameofsoftball.
Fastpitchsoftballwasstartedfirst,butthenitprogressedtoslowpitchtogivethehittersachance
tohittheball.Softballisplayedbymanyyouthallaroundtheworld.Softballhelpsbuild
teamwork,handandeyecoordination,andstrength.
Softballwasstartedbecausepeoplewantedasportforwomen.Thissportisaformof
baseball,butisstilldifferent.GeorgeHancockwantedittobedifferentfrombaseball,sothe
ruleswerethatgirlshadtowearskirtsandthesameshirttothegames.Softballwasinventedby
twelveothermen,andoneoftheguysnamewasGeorgeHancock.GeorgeHancockgottheidea
toinventsoftballbythepeoplearoundhim.SoftballwasstartedwhenYalefanthrewanold
boxinggloveataHarvardfanandhehititbackwithastick.
Softballandbaseballaresimilartoeachother,buttheyhaveadifference.Softballhasa
flatpitchersmoundandbaseballhasalittlehillforamound.Theamountofinningsis
different,softballonlyhasseveninningsandbaseballhasnineinnings.Mostlywoodenbatsare
usedforbaseball,aluminumbatsareusedforsoftball.Thedistanceofthebaseshavea
difference,baseballbaseshaslongerbasedistancesthansoftball.

Softballusedtobeplayedwithwoodenbats,nowmostgirlsplaysoftballwithaluminum
bats.Therearemanydifferentbrandsofbatssuchas:DeMarini,Easton,LouisvilleSluggers,
Miken,Rawling,Worth,andMizuno.Thereareeithercompositebatsoraluminumbats.
Compositebatscanbreakeasilyincoldweatherorweatherunder70degrees.Softballbatsare
smallerandlighterthanbaseballbats.
Softballhaschangedovertheyearsforexample,morerulesandtheinventionof
differentpitches.Softballhaschangedovertheyears,nowtheplayerscanwearmatchingpants
orshortsandthesameshirt.Also,softballwasplayedwithwoodenbatsandnowprogressedto
aluminumorcompositebats.Whensoftballwasfirstplayeditwasplayedalotlikebaseball,but
nowitisplayeddifferentlythanbaseball.Thereisalotmorepitchesnowthanthereusedtobe.
Thereisaboutninesoftballpitchesthatthepitchersuseforexample,fastball,curveball,
dropball,riseball,andmore.Fastpitchwasplayedfirstandnowtheresbothfastpitchand
slowpitch.
Softballhadovertwentytwodifferentnamesbeforeitgotthenamesoftball.Thefirst
evernameforthesportwaskittenball,andthatwasinventedin1895.Firefighterswouldplay
kittenballintheirsparetime.Then,in1925thenamediamondballwasinventedforthesport.
Someofthenamesforthesportsoftballwerekittenball,mushball,diamondball,andindoor
baseball.Softballgotitsnamein1926,byamannamedWalterHankanson.
WomenfastpitchsoftballwasaddedintotheSummerOlympicsin1966.Whenthesport
gotaddedtotheOlympicsalotofpeoplethoughtthatitwasahugesuccessinsoftball.Thefirst
Olympicsoftballgamewasplayed,inAtlanta,Georgia.SoftballgottakenoutoftheOlympics
becausetheInternationalOlympicCommitteevotedthesportout.Softballandbaseballwerethe

onlytwosportsthatgotdroppedoutoftheOlympicsin2008.In2001,TheWorldCup
competitionwasintroducedtogirlsallaroundtheworld.
ThefirstsoftballassociationwasA.S.A.whichstandsforAmateurSoftballAssociation.
TheA.S.A.madeayouthprogramin1957.Whensoftballwaspopular,theymadeleaguesto
helpthesportgrow.In1961,softballmadeitontelevisionforthefirsttime.Thefirst
championshipsoftballgamewasplayedin1966.In1990,peoplethatwereinaleaguewere
makingthenamesoftheirteamstypesofanimalsforexample,kittens,whales,dogs,andmore.
Softballhasimprovedalotandisplayedbymanycountriesaroundtheworld.Thesport
inventedin1887byGeorgeHancockwhogottheideafromthethingshappeningaroundhim.
Baseballandsoftballareverysimilar,buttheyhaveadifference,suchas,thepitchingstyles,the
sizesoftheballstheyuse,andmuchmore.SoftballwasintheSummerOlympicsin1996,but
thengotvotedoutbytheInternationalOlympicCommittee.Thesportsoftballhadover
twentytwodifferentnamesbeforeitgotthenamesoftball.Softballisplayedbymanyyouth
aroundtheworld.Softballhelpsbuildteamwork,handandeyecoordination,andstrength.Many
girlsorwomendontcareifitishotorrainyouttheyjustwanttoplaythegame.

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