Top 10 Weirdest Softball Facts

Softball is a sport with over one hundred years of history behind it. If you think you know all of the softball facts there are to know, you’re likely misinformed.

It’s a sport filled with all types of tidbits, some of which are fairly normal, and some of which are a little on the strange side. These tidbits can help to change your perspective on the sport, allowing you to appreciate it in a different way than you already do.

Without further ado, here are the top 10 weirdest softball facts.

Weirdest Softball Facts

Let’s take a look at the following weird softball facts:

1. Softball Was Originally Played Indoors

It probably comes as a shock to you to hear that softball was originally an indoor sport. Devised in 1887 by Chicago Board of Trade journalist, George Hancock, the sport was originally designed as a winter version of baseball.

For around a year, softball was played indoors. In 1888, however, people began to take the sport outside, establishing official rules and guidelines for play. By 1889, the Boat Club had established the first official softball league, complete with rules and teams.

2. The First Softball Was a Boxing Glove

Though today’s softball is essentially an over-sized baseball, softballs were not always like this. In fact, the very first softball ever used was a leather boxing glove which was folded up into itself.

For around a week, this boxing glove turned softball was used in the very first softball games. However, by the time a week had passed, softball creator George Hancock had created an official ball; this ball was harder and rounder than the boxing glove that was being used.

3. The First Official Softballs Were Huge

As was mentioned above, after about a week of play, an official softball had been created. This softball was similar to a baseball but was substantially bigger. In fact, it was even bigger than softballs are today.

Whereas baseballs measure in at 9 inches in circumference, and today’s fastpitch softballs measure in at 12 inches in circumference, the first official softballs measured in at 16 inches in circumference. In essence, the first official softballs were — for lack of a better word — huge.

4. Softball is Played All Over the World

You may or may not realize that softball is now a global sport. While it started in the United States and was — for a long period — played only in North America, it eventually branched out, landing on every habitable continent on the planet.

In all, the sport is officially regulated in over 140 countries. The organizations which regulate it include the Amateur Softball Association of America and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. You might also be surprised to hear that the World Baseball Softball Confederation is headquartered in Switzerland.

5. Softball Was Dropped from the Olympics After Only 12 Years

The first time that softball ever appeared in the Olympics was in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last in the Olympics for long, seeing itself struck from the Olympics by the Olympic Committee in 2008.

When it was removed from the Olympic Games, softball was the first sport to be removed from the Olympics since polo, 69 years previous. As of now, there are some grassroots efforts to get softball back into the Summer Olympics.

6. Old-school Softball is Still Played

Everyone knows that softball is still played. However, the way that it’s generally played today is different from the way that it was originally played. First called “mushball,” softball was once played with a semi-soft, 16-inch ball.

You’re probably under the assumption that such a form of softball is now extinct. You would be assuming wrong. In the city of Chicago, mushball is still played on a regular basis by a legion of glove-less and faithful fans.

7. There is a Softball Hall of Fame

Because softball isn’t quite as big of a deal as baseball, basketball, or football, you might not expect that it has a hall of fame. However, softball does have a hall of fame, and it’s been around since 1957.

Established as the National Softball Hall of Fame, the hall is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has currently inducted between 300 and 400 members. If you want to truly get a grasp of softball’s long history, this is the place for you to go.

8. Early Softball Was Played Without Gloves

If you watch a softball game these days, you’ll notice that every player on the defensive team is wearing a fielding glove of some kind. While fielders have worn gloves for decade and decades, they didn’t always.

The earliest forms of softball were played without gloves. This was possible mostly due to the fact that the ball being used was much softer than the one used today. Players could field balls without worrying about the physical state of their hands and fingers.

9. Softball Has Gone By Many Different Names

Another one of our weird softball facts is that, while it’s now almost exclusively called softball, softball has gone through a number of different names over the years. These names have changed as the sport has evolved in order to better represent what the game is all about.

Some names that softball has taken over the years include mush ball, kitten ball, indoor baseball, and playground, to name just a few. It has also been called ladies’ baseball.

10. Softball Was Devised at a Football Game

Long before softball was a legitimate sport which included official uniforms, balls, and softball trading pins, it was a mere idea. And where was this idea developed? At a Yale-Harvard football game.

At said game, softball creator George Hancock saw a Yale fan throw a boxing glove at a Harvard fan. As the glove arrived, the Harvard fan smacked it with a wooden stick. Upon seeing this, Hancock came up with the idea for softball.

Learn All Types of Weird Stuff

While there are certainly a lot of weird softball facts, softball is far from the only activity which has a weird history. In fact, just about anything you can think of has some weirdness associated with it.

Want to learn more weird facts? You can find them right here at Weirdomatic.com.

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