The American's sports pages promoted the tournament daily and Chicago businessmen raised $500 to finance the event. On the opening day of the 1933 tournament, the Chicago American said, "It is the largest and most comprehensive tournament ever held in the sport which has swept the country like wildfire." With admission free, 70,000 people saw the 1st round of play. Chicago teams won the 3 divisions of play with ASA National Softball Hall of Famer Harry (Coon) Rosen leading the J.L. Friedman Boosters to the men's title, one-hitting the famed Briggs Beautyware of Detroit, MI in the finals. It was the 1st loss of the season for Briggs after forty-one consecutive wins. It was evident that softball finally had a foundation from which to grow and expand and in 1935, the Playground Association Softball guide wrote, "The years of persistent effort, constant promotion and unchanging faith of believers in softball proved to have not been in vain, for in 1934 softball came into its own.

All over America 100's of leagues and 1000's of players enthusiastically accepted this major team game. "The promotional activities of the ASA played an important part in stimulating the interest that has been developing for many years.

The battle for recognition of this wonderful game is over. Softball has won a place among America's foremost sports." The recognition of the sport increased tremendously when softball was finally accepted as an Olympic sport in 1991, thanks to the efforts of former ASA Executive Director and International Softball Federation President, Don E. Porter, who spent many hours and traveled 1000's of miles lobbying for softball to be accepted on the Olympic program.

That became a reality in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia where the softball competition was an overwhelming success drawing more than 120,000 people to Golden Park in Columbus.. The USA won the 1st-ever gold medal in softball and repeated as gold medalists in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia where another attendance record was set. In 2004, softball will again be part of the Olympics in Athens, Greece. Besides the Olympics, softball also is an official Pan American sport, and is played in various international tournaments and events sanctioned by the International Softball Federation. 1sta Pan Am demonstration sport in Winnipeg, Canada in 1967, softball was officially added to the Pan American program in 1979, with both men's and women's fast pitch softball contested. The Pan American Games is held every 4 years. The persistent efforts of 1000's of people and their faith in a sport that was conceived inside the Farragut Boat Club has been well worth the effort because softball is America's game and reached the pinnacle of the sports world in 1996 that for many years some people thought might never happen. Fortunately, there were enough people who believed softball belonged on the Olympic program, and after the record-setting past 2 Olympic Games there isn't any more doubt where softball belongs. Softball has found its place--not only in the hearts and souls of the people who play but those who watch it in the Olympic arena. 

MOST athletic scholarships are not "full-ride" they are partial only. College softball is classed as a equivalency sport by the NCAA.

Junior College Softball Scholarships.

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Softball Information Sites.  Softball History  Softball Scholarships  North Dakota softball

The popularity of women's fastpitch softball has grown steadily since the professional league's end in 1980. In fact, once again, there is another professional fastpitch league called the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch League).

Today more than forty million people play it each summer, making softball the No. one team participant sport in the USA.

Softball essays and stories from high school athletes.

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