Softball

History of Softball
Softball was developed as an indoor game in 1887 by George W. Hancock in Chicago. He used a 17-inch (43-centimeter) ball whose seams looked like ridges because they were turned to the outside. In 1895, Lewis Rober of the Minneapolis Fire Department adapted the game for outdoor play. Rober used a 12-inch ball that had a cover like that of a baseball.

In 1933, the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) was founded to govern and promote softball in the United States. The ASA set up a committee that established one set of rules now used by teams in all parts of the world. The International Softball Federation, founded in 1952, governs international competition.

Softball is a popular game throughout the world. Softball resembles baseball, but the rules of the sports differ in several ways. Softball pitching must be underhand. Softball requires less space and equipment, and regulation games last seven innings instead of nine. A softball is also larger than a baseball.

"Softball." World Book Student. World Book, 2014. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. 

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