Sliding Into History: The Legacy of USU Women's Softball Champions 1980 – 1981: Origins and History of Softball

On Thanksgiving day 1887, a group of young men gathered at the Farragut Boat Club, in Chicago Illinois to wager on the Harvard vs Yale football game.^[1] News of the game's outcome was read and excitement filled those rooting for Yale. The camaraderie of the group caused a young man who had put money on Yale to throw a boxing glove at a Harvard supporter.^[2] However, the Harvard supporter saw it coming and “grabbed a gymnasium wand and batted the ball back at his tormenter.”^[3] These actions caught the eye of George Hancock the attributed softball game creator, who yelled out “Let’s play baseball.”^[4] In a spirit of ingenuity, George gave an example of how to play indoors. Resonating with the young men, the new game of indoor ball started. This would eventually evolve into softball.

Popularity of indoor ball took off in clubs around Chicago and soon spread to other states in the Midwest.^[5] Many saw the benefits of this new game as a way for “baseball players looking to maintain their dexterity during the off-season”^[6] and a “great propensity to teach the younger male how to play base ball.”^[7] Mentions of both Women and old men playing granted the game as versatile.^[8] Not only were the participants widespread, but the playing field and ball were changing to adapt to different locations. Changes in ball and field gave rise to names “such as kitten ball, mush ball, diamond ball, indoor-outdoor, and playground ball.”^[9]

In 1933 The Amateur Softball Association, now USA Softball, had set a goal to establish a universal name and rules for the growing popular game from George Hancock. Softball would replace any other name given to indoor ball and a set of rules that became universal was established.^[10] This advanced the game across the United States and internationally.