Nelson Young, age 9, of Shreveport, La., for his question:
WHEN WAS SOFTBALL FIRST PLAYED?
Softball is a game similar to baseball, but it is played on a smaller field with a larger ball. It was developed by an American named George Hancock in 1887.
Hancock was associated with the Farragut Boat Club in Chicago. He designed the game of softball as an indoor game and he used a 16 inch ball that had the seams turned out.
In 1895, a man named Lewis Rober who was a member of the Minneapolis Fire Department adapted the game for outdoors. He used a 12 inch ball that had a cover similar to that used in baseball. Robert's version is considered the forerunner of the game of softball we play today.
In 1923, the National Recreation Association appointed a committee of recreation executives to study the variety of rules used in different parts of the United States so that they could be standardized.
Many of the rules were later changed by a joint rules committee formed in 1933.
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the governing body of the sport in the United States today. It has aided the development of softball not only in the United States but in other countries.
International Softball Federation, founded in 1952, governs international softball competition today. The internal group now has more than 40 member countries.
All softball pitching must be underhand. The softball pitcher stands 46 feet from home plate instead of 60 feet and six inches as in baseball.
The base runner cannot leave his base in softball until the ball has left the pitcher's hand. Baseball players can lead off a base.
A regular softball game lasts seven innings.
Women play softball by the same rules as men except that the pitcher stands 40 feet from home plate.
There are two classes of softball competition: fast pitch and slow pitch.
Fast pitch softball has a nine man team while slow pitch softball has a 10 man team. The tenth man is a short fielder.
Fast pitch softball teams play on an infield with the bases 60 feet apart. The players use a ball that measures 12 inches around and a bat that cannot be thicker than two and a quarter inches. All pitching must be underhand, in a motion similar to that of bowling.
In slow pitch softball, the same size infield and ball are used, but the ball must be pitched so that it arches on its way to the batter. Unlike fast pitch softball, slow pitch rules do not allow bunting or base stealing.
Many people play a slow pitch baseball game with a 14 inch ball or one that is 16 inches around. Slow pitch softball is popular in the United States and in a number of other countries.
Softball is especially popular in schools and public recreation programs beause it requires less room and equipment than baseball. It is estimated that more than 20 million people around the world enjoy softball on a regular schedule.