Thesis: Softball is a hard sport to play but just imagine coaching this sport having to put all your

work and effort into it. Through time softball has changed dramatically from going from just
something people thought was just a fun thing to play all the way to it becoming a professional
thing. Well I would like to talk about the history of softball and the beginning years, the
professional years of softball, and also how to coach a womens softball team that way maybe
people will understand how difficult the sport is and how popular the sport has became over
time.
Note Page 1
Source A
"History of Softball." Athletic Scholarships. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2014.
1.

History of Softball/Beginning years

Although many people believe that softball derived from baseball, the sports first game was
actually was actually came about because of a football game.
2.

History of Softball/Beginning years

Softball dates all the way back to Thanksgiving Day of 1887, when several alumni sat in the
Chicago, Illinois Farragut Boat Club, anxiously awaiting the outcome of the Yale vs Harvard
football game. When Yale was announced the winner, a Yale alumnus playfully through a
boxing glove at a Harvard supporter. The Harvard fan swing at the balled up glove with a stick,
and the rest of the group looked on with interest.
3.

History of Softball/Beginning years

In 1926 Walter Hakanson coined the term softball while representing the YMCA at a national
recreation congress meeting, and by 1930 the term stuck as the sports official name.
4.

History of Softball/Beginning years

In 1934 the joint rules committee on softball collaborated a standardized set of rules. Up until
this point the game has been played with varied rules, player positions, and also ball sizes.
5.

History of Softball/Beginning years

The original softball used by the Farragut Boat Club was 16 inches in circumstance. However,
Lewis Rober Sr., the man responsible for organizing softball games for firefighters in
Minneapolis, used a 12 inch ball. Robers ball won out as the preferred softball size, and the
professional softball games today are played using a 10-12 inch ball.
6.

Becoming a professional sport

In 1991 womens fast pitch softball was added to the roster of the 1996 summer olympics a
landmark many people recognize as a ultimate success of a sport. Although softball was later
dropped from the 2012 summer olympics lineup, the game is still one of the most participate
sports in the United States and 113 countries have officially joined the international softball
federation since the organizations formation in 1952.
7.

History of Softball/Beginning years

According to the official rules developed early in the history of softball, and eventually defined by
the international softball federation there are nine players on the field at a time. There are three
people in the outfield and six in the infield.
8.

History of Softball/Beginning years

The players take the positions of pitcher, catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop,
and the outfielders. Usually there are three outfielders holding the positions of left field, right
field, and center field. Although slow pitch softball allows there to be four people in the outfield
at one time.
9.

Todays Softball

Today softball is one of the most popular sports in the country and an estimated 40 million
americans engage in at least one softball game each year.
10.

History of Softball/Beginning years

The history of softball is still unfolding, and the game has undergone numerous modifications
since its creation in 1887, but it is still one the most preferred sport games in the country and
has developed a following in several countries throughout the world.