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History Of Softball Essay

1136 Words5 Pages

Kaylie Springer
Where Did it Come from Paper
Dr. McQueen
1/26/2023
The Origins of Softball Since I was in elementary school, I have been playing the game of softball. Although I have been competing for years, I have never thought about where the game originated. After researching the origins of softball, I was surprised to learn that its ideas came from a schoolyard game called rounders, played in England during the 15th century (Masters, 2020).
Rounders was brought to America by England’s earliest colonists in the late 1500s and spread quickly during the American Revolution (England’s Immigrants, 2021). The game was originally played by young school children for leisure. Unlike baseball and softball where there are gender typical stereotypes …show more content…

As the game of baseball rapidly grew throughout America, a man named George Hancock created an indoor version of baseball that eventually became what is known today as softball. In 1887 on Thanksgiving Day, Hancock and his friends used chalk to create a baseball field at a boat club in Chicago (Niese, 2009). Using a broom as a bat and boxing gloves, he created a game that was safe to play indoors. Indoor baseball spread quickly throughout Chicago and by the late 1800s, leagues were formed throughout America (Niese, 2009). As the game became more popular, it was named softball. Although men and women played softball it was seen as a game for men who did not want to play outside or who could not participate in baseball, which reinforced society’s subordinate view on women. Instead of seeing softball as a women’s game, it was seen as a game for men who were too weak to play …show more content…

Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, April 22). Rounders. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/sports/rounders
Masters, J. (2020). Rounders & Baseball - History and Information. Rounders & Baseball - Online Guide. Retrieved from https://www.tradgames.org.uk/games/rounders.htm
National Archives and Records Administration. (2016). Women in the work force during World War II. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/wwii-women.html
Niese, J. (2009, February 19). Covering all the bases. Volume One - Eau Claire News. Retrieved from https://volumeone.org/articles/2009/02/19/200396-covering-all-the-bases
Newcomb, T. (2019, October 16). Who Really Invented Baseball? Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/story/who-really-invented-baseball
Stone, K. (2019, June 13). For pro softball players, it's not about the paycheck: It's the competition, camaraderie, and love for the game. Medill Reports Chicago. Retrieved from

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