1941: Softball

Baseball's rapidly maturing second-cousin, softball, continues to grow by leaps and bounds until it has now surpassed baseball in the number of players. Approximately 2,750,000 young men and women play the game, comprising about 115,000 teams. Because the diamond is one-third smaller, the game is faster. In addition, the ball is larger and the bat is smaller. The sport is governed by the Amateur Softball Association of America, with headquarters in Chicago, Ill.

The 1941 championships, held in Detroit, Mich., provided plenty of excitement as well as new champions. The Bendix Brakes from South Bend, Ind., emerged victorious in the men's division, succeeding the Rochester, N. Y., team, the 1940 winners. The girls' Midgets team from Tulsa, Okla., won the crown from the Phoenix Ramblers of Arizona. Teams of women are becoming more numerous, and they play the game with as much speed and skill as the men. Besides the games played during the day, many games and feature events are held at night under flood lights, attended by thousands of people in the big ball parks. See also BASEBALL.

1940: Softball

Softball is a sport that is rapidly developing among teams of young men and women all over the United States. Played on a diamond about one-third smaller than the regulation baseball field, it is estimated that nearly 2,500,000 play the game, some 110,000 teams. The sport is sponsored by the Amateur Softball Association of America.

The eighth annual tournament of the Association, held in Detroit, was won by the Rochester, N. Y., team for the second time, defeating the South Bend, Ind., team. Harold Gears, who also hurled for the victors in 1936, only allowed three hits. Rochester won the game in the sixth inning when two bases on balls and a single produced the one and only run.

Women's teams play with as much speed and finesse as the men, and the fans flock to their games in large numbers. They also play the game in many of the large arenas in the big cities. The leading women's team is the Phoenix (Ariz.) Ramblers, who showed their supremacy over the Koch Furniture team of Cleveland, Ohio, to the tune of 10-3. It was a game packed with thrills, enlivened by keen competition and spirited play.

1939: Softball

Softball gained in momentum in the United States in 1939 in both number of players (about 1,000,000 play the game) and of spectators. Because the game is played on a smaller diamond than baseball (and has ten instead of nine players), it is faster and provides more thrills to both players and spectators. Under the supervision of the Amateur Softball Association of America, the game is making remarkable progress with its well-organized teams of young men and women playing it from coast to coast.

Nearly one hundred of the top teams went through preliminary games in the national championship won by the Covington (Ky.) Boosters men's team, after conquering the Columbus (Ohio) team in the finals. Among the girls' teams the competition was every bit as spirited, and the playing technic reached a high level. The Alameda (Calif.) Girls, who in 1938 won the women's national championship under the name of the J. J. Kriegs, retained their laurels in 1939, overcoming the Louisville (Ky.) team in the finals.

The title of the Metropolitan League, for which six topnotch squads competed, was won by the Newark-Linder team of girls. The Roverettes and the Americanettes, representing New York in the women's contests, played their games in Madison Square Garden. The former won 25 and lost 13; and the latter captured 20 and dropped 15. In 8 games between the two teams, the Americanettes prevailed, 5-3, bringing new thrills and a new game indoors.

Like baseball, softball is now becoming popular in many nearby countries.

1938: Softball

A survey of softball clubs in Southern California alone, revealed the existence of a thousand women's teams within a hundred miles of Los Angeles. In the metropolitan area of Chicago it is estimated that thirty-five thousand players participate regularly on twenty-five hundred organized teams. These figures give some indication of the extent to which softball has been popularized throughout this country.

Much of the growth of softball is due to a large number of industrial firms having sponsored teams which tour the country playing under company names. In hundreds of cities feminine softball teams have been formed, the players being recruited from high schools. Expert women's teams attract large and enthusiastic crowds, having proved so popular during 1938 that a series was played in Madison Square Garden in New York City.

The 1938 World's Championship Softball Tournament was held at Soldiers Field in Chicago. Fifty-six men's teams and thirty-four women's aggregations came from forty-three states and the District of Columbia to compete for the national titles. The men's championship was won by the team sponsored by Pohlar's Cafe of Cincinnati, Ohio. A team of young women, 'The Kriegs' of Alameda, Calif., won the women's championship. The regulation game of softball is normally played by ten persons on a sixty-foot diamond and consists of seven innings. Rules and national competitions are governed by the Amateur Softball Association of America.