The earliest known softball game was played in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day, 1887. It took place at the Farragut Boat Club at a gathering to hear the outcome of the Yale University and Harvard University football game.
When was the first official softball game played?
The sport was first played indoors, in 1887 at Chicago’s Farragut Boat Club, and it got the name “softball” in 1926. Interest exploded in 1933 after a tournament at Chicago’s “A Century of Progress” world’s fair.
Who played the first softball game?
George Hancock, at the time a reporter for Chicago Board of Trade, invented the game of softball in 1887. The first game was played indoors, inside the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago. The first game of softball came from a football game between Yale and Harvard.
How was softball in 1887?
The first recorded softball game was played with men at a boat club in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois. They played with a broom and a rolled up glove. The next week one of the members of the club, George Hancock, invented a ball and small bat for the game.
Where was the first version of softball?
The first version of softball was invented in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day, 1887 by George Hancock as a winter version of baseball. It was intended to be a way for baseball players to keep in practice during the winter. At the time, the sport was called “Indoor Baseball”.
How was softball played when it was first invented?
The Harvard fan grabbed a stick and swung at the rolled up glove. George Hancock, a reporter there, called out “Play ball!” and the game began, with the boxing glove tightened into a ball, a broom handle serving as a bat. This first contest ended with a score of 41–40. The ball, being soft, was fielded barehanded.
In which century was the earliest known softball game played?
The earliest known softball game was played in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day, 1887. It took place at the Farragut Boat Club at a gathering to hear the outcome of the Yale University and Harvard University football game.
When was the date that softball was developed in Chicago?
21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The game of softball started on Thanksgiving Day, November 24th in 1887 at the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago (located now on landfill south of McCormick Place) when Yale and Harvard students and alumni assembled to learn the tickertape results of the annual football game between both schools, …
Why is softball called softball?
It was invented in 1887 in Chicago, Illinois, United States as an indoor game. … The name “softball” was given to the game in 1926 because the ball used to be soft; however, in modern-day usage, the balls are hard.
Why did they invent softball?
Softball was invented in 1887 by men, though it came to be seen as an easier, “safer” and more modest game — more suitable, that is, to ladies.
Who invented softball game?
Softball began in 1887 when George Hancock, a reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade, invented “indoor baseball”. By the spring of 1888, the game had spread outdoors.
Who founded softball?
Softball, which according to the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), is the most played team sport in the United States has an interesting history. The sport started on Thanksgiving Day 1887 and was invented by a Chicago Board of Trade reporter named George Hancock.
Who introduced softball in our country?
1887: The first iteration of softball was invented by George Hancock and his friends while watching a Harvard vs. Yale football game. 1889: Hancock creates rules to be used by the “Mid Winter Indoor Baseball League of Chicago,” but the game spreads through the fire departments in the area.
Where is softball most popular?
According to the latest World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) rankings, the U.S. and Japan are once again the top-ranked international softball teams in the world.
Is softball a girl?
Men Play Baseball, Women Play Softball Despite the popularity of women’s basketball and soccer — games men also play with very similar rules — baseball has failed to catch on as a women’s sport. Instead, women play softball.