The game of softball was created in 1887 by George Hancock.
The game was created as an indoor pastime for a winter party at a Chicago Board of Trade event. The game was originally called “indoor baseball” and was played with a broomstick and a small rubber ball. In 1926, the name “softball” was officially adopted by the National Softball Association. The game is now played worldwide by people of all ages and is a popular sport for women.

It is a game that is similar to baseball, but is played with a larger ball and a smaller field.



The game of softball was invented in 1887 by George Hancock. Hancock was a journalist who was looking for a game that would be suitable for indoor play. He created the game of softball by modifying the rules of baseball. The first softball game was played with a broomstick and a rubber ball.

The game was originally created as a way to keep people occupied during the winter months.


The game was originally created as a way to keep people occupied during the winter months. It was invented in 1887 by George Hancock, who was a journalist for the Chicago Board of Trade. The game quickly became popular, and by the early 1900s, it was being played all over the United States.

The first official game of softball was played in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day in 1887.


The game was invented by George Hancock, who also wrote the first set of rules. The game was originally played with a sixteen-inch ball and a broomstick, and it was intended to be a less-physical alternative to baseball.

Over the years, the game has evolved and now there are different types of softball, including fastpitch, slowpitch, and modified pitch. Fastpitch is the most popular type of softball, and it is typically played by girls in high school and college. Slowpitch is typically played by men in recreational leagues. Modified pitch is a combination of both fastpitch and slowpitch, and it is typically played by younger girls.

George Hancock is considered the “Father of Softball” because he created the game and wrote the first set of rules.


Hancock, an indoor baseball player and reporter for the Chicago Board of Trade, created softball in 1887 on Thanksgiving Day as a game to be played indoors during the winter months. The first game was played with a 16-inch baseball and borrowed rules from outdoor baseball. The game was an instant success, and by the early 1890s, Hancock had written a set of rules for the game and it had become a popular pastime.

In what city was softball invented?

Softball was invented in Chicago in 1887 by George Hancock. The sport was derived from the game of baseball and was originally called indoor baseball. It gained popularity quickly and spread to other cities and countries. It was also used as a form of recreation during the summer when it got too hot to play baseball. Keep reading to learn more about the history of softball.

Other cities where softball was played


After its invention in Chicago, Illinois, softball soon spread to other cities in the United States. In particular, significant competitive play occurred in cities along the West Coast. These included Los Angeles, California and Portland and Seattle Washington. From there the sport made its way into other parts of the country and around the world.

Softball was also being played as part of physical education classes in New York City high schools at least as far back as 1965. The format wasn’t quite like modern fast pitch softball. Instead, it involved slow pitching designed to avoid overly aggressive behavior without wearing protective equipment.

Softball also had some popularity in Germany during the 1920s with teams playing both slow pitch games and a faster variant called “fast ball”. This form of fast ball was similar to modern-day softball although it used a small rubber ball instead of a larger leather ball like contemporary softball games use today.

Other than Germany, softball did not make much additional international headway until after World War II when it experienced rapid growth popularization in countries such as Canada, Japan and Australia amongst others. Softball is also a popular sport in Latin America with teams from Mexico and Cuba having opened some early faces against U.S squads during exhibition games held between 1933-35 while on tour through those countries respectively. By 1980, formal international governing bodies started forming and major competitions such as Pan American championships began taking place around the world before eventually culminating into competitions such as the Softball World Cup that is still played today all over the globe on an annual basis among many other nation-wide tournaments taking place every year on multiple continents around the world since then originally founded by professional clubs such as Donora Softball Club founded by Mel Swartout Sr who created this game more that 90 years ago now known today simply as “Softball” across many nations no matter what language you call it by or where you reside .