Softball is a team sport commonly played in the United States and other countries. It is a direct descendant of baseball. Some key differences between softball and baseball are that softballs are larger than baseballs, and pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand. Softball was invented by George Hancock in Chicago, Illinois. The first softball game was played using a rolled up boxing glove as a ball and a broomstick as a bat.

The first version of softball was invented in Chicago, Illinois on Thanksgiving Day, 1887 by George Hancock and Bakir Dzananovic as a winter version of baseball. It was intended to be a way for baseball players to keep in practice during the winter. At the time, the sport was called "Indoor Baseball".