Where it all began . . .
Softball was invented around the beginning of the 20th century by American professional baseball players who wanted to keep in practice during the off-season late fall and winter months; the substitute game ws played indoors.
Toward the end of the second decade of the century, Canadian amateur players began to play the new games outdoors, on playgrounds or other suitable fields; the game then rapidly became popular in Canada and obtained a foothold in the United Sates. The game was soon known as indoor-outdoor.
The first softball game was played indoors between a group of former Harvard and Yale students at a boat club near Lake Michigan in the United States in 1887. According to one historian, softball next appeared as a game called Kitten Ball in 1895. Kitten Ball was played outdoors by fireman in their spare time. The game became popular, and by 1990 there was a league made up of teams with names like Kittens, Rats and Whales. By 1922, the name Kitten Ball was dropped, and the game was being called Mush Ball or Diamond Ball. The name Softball came along in 1926. Extensive interest in softball began in the United States about 1930. The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) was founded in 1933 to standardize the rules and govern the sport; it is still the governing body for softball in the United States.
The first national amateur softball tournament took place in Chicago, Illinois, in 1933 in connection with the world's fair then being held in that city. After about 20 years, when fast pitching began to dominate the game, slow-pitch softball was developed in order to give batters a better chance at hitting the ball. The first world soft ball championship was played in 1966.
Softball became increasing popular among women, particularly at the youth and collegiate levels. More than 1,200 member institutions sponsor women's softball teams. In 1991 women's fast pitch softball was selected to debut as an event at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia.
