Rather than be lauded for their abilities, the women's leagues were fielded for laughs and advertising ventures. The rules of slowpitch are pretty similar to regular softball with the exception that pitchers must throw a ball that is at least 6 feet and no higher than 12 feet. If you look closely at baseball and softball bats, you can notice subtle differences there as well. Then in 1875, a women's baseball club based out of Springfield, Ill., put together two teams: the Blondes and the Brunettes. More than 600 women took the field as professional athletes, including the Racine Belles, the team popularized in the 1992 film, "A League of Their Own. Yes, softball is normally geared toward girls at an early age, however, there are several little leagues that allow girls to play baseball. Why is women's baseball called softball? The playing diamond is much smaller than baseball's, with only 60 feet between bases. A baseball, on the other hand, is approximately nine inches around and has a weight of up to 5. The reasoning behind both items is that women have smaller hands and don't have the power necessary to throw the ball as efficiently on a baseball-sized field. Instead of encouraging a coed venture like that one, why not just create a girls baseball team?
Check at any park or ball diamond in the spring and summer, and you are sure to find both kids and adults tossing a ball and trying to figure out how to hit the perfect home run. Baseball and softball are two sports that are growing in popularity due to the evolution of travel baseball. Baseball vs Softball Differences. After being an Olympic sport for the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic games, softball was recently dropped from the 2012 London Olympics by a tied vote of 52-52 with one member abstaining. This may be true in some areas, but the fact is both boys and girls thrive in either sport. A smaller infield also affects how the defense is played. Without a solid pitcher, teams will struggle to win games and shortstops tend to be involved in the most fielding plays out of all the positions on the field so having a reliable shortstop is key. Instead, the law dictated that the school must provide an equivalent sport, and in that case, it was softball. In baseball, the pitching mound is slightly elevated so when the ball is pitched it angles downward. Shorter Distance from the Pitcher's Mound to Home Plate.
However, since the pitcher's mound and the home plate are much closer than in baseball, (40 feet versus 60 feet) the player must react to the pitch just as quickly. In softball, the distance between the pitcher's mound and home plate is also much shorter than in baseball. Baseball bats are normally longer than baseball bats and have a more rounded crown, whereas softball bats are more narrow toward the barrow. Is softball the girl version of baseball? An entertaining matchup from years ago was famous softball pitcher Jenny Fitch facing off against Albert Pujols: Baseball swing vs Softball swing. A softball is much larger than a baseball in both circumference and weight. There has been speculation that the committee members thought that women's softball was just a female version of baseball, and not popular enough to matter. Home Plate to Right Field||315 feet|.
Baseball: What Are the Similarities and Differences? In softball, you will see players laying down bunts toward the left side of the infield and trying to make their way to first base before the pitcher or third baseman can throw them out with regularity. Thus, schools were within their right to deny girls who were interested in baseball as long as a softball team was provided. The United States team took the first gold medal in the sport, beating China in the gold medal game 3-1. Although the softball federation will certainly have something to say about this, the situation doesn't look hopeful for girls fostering an Olympic fast pitch softball dream. Home to Pitchers Mound||43 feet|.
Photos of those pioneering women hang in the National Baseball Hall of Fame Library in Cooperstown, N. Y., a far cry from proper redemption but a remembrance nonetheless. There are several differences, aside from the size of the ball, that set the two sports apart. Pitchers in baseball throw overhand, which gives them more leverage and the ability to throw with greater velocity than softball pitchers who throw underhand from the pitcher's mound. I think that's a big load of poppycock. One of the biggest things you will notice between softball and baseball is the size of the field. Or why not lower the net a foot or two for the girls basketball players, or maybe even let the girls swim team compete in smaller pools with shorter laps? Is a softball harder than a baseball? So not only do women work with a smaller field, they use the oversized ball as well. Unfortunately, the Olympic committee doesn't seem very interested in recasting this important ballot.
I like the fast-pitch style of softball. To many people's surprise, softball players have a shorter reaction time due to the fact that pitchers leap off the mound and typically release the ball from 37 feet, which gives hitters facing a 70 MPH fastball. Rather, women were finding their way onto baseball fields with leagues forming as early as 1866 when the all-female students at Vassar College fielded teams of their own. Another difference has to do with the size of the ball.