By Kaity Sample Posted February 19, 2014
Most baseball players will argue that baseball is a harder sport than softball. I’ll give credit where it is due, but softball is just as difficult. Baseball players will use the excuse that they have to run farther because their field is bigger. It is indeed bigger than a softball field, but let’s take a look at the circumstances.
Baseball pitchers release the ball above their heads, making the ball go in a downward motion. As the hitter makes contact with the ball, it is at a better angle to hit a home run. Baseball players may need better hand-eye coordination because the ball is smaller.
Softball pitchers release the ball at their hip making the ball go in an upward motion. This upward motion, proven by physics, makes it harder to hit the ball out of the park. A softball may be easier to see, but it’s heavier and that’s more weight and power we have to put into our swing. Softball pitchers usually pitch an entire game, whereas in baseball you can see at least three different pitchers. We are working and tiring our bodies the entire game. We have the same urge and adrenaline to play. Boys want to be taken out to protect their arms, and girls give it their all.
A baseball field extends 325 feet with each base 90 feet apart. Softball fields are 200 feet and each base is 65 feet apart. Although distances in baseball are greater, let’s not forget the fact that softball players have to be quicker because of the smaller infield. Baseball players have to have stronger arms to throw the ball farther distances as well, but that doesn’t mean, necessarily, that baseball is harder.
The fact that softball originated from baseball, quite frankly, doesn’t matter and has nothing to do with the difficulty of each sport. Baseball is a hard sport, but that doesn’t mean softball isn’t. Softball players need recognition of their skill, speed, and strength just like baseball players. Also, softball players use bigger balls, and they leave bigger bruises while working twice as hard running poles and practice diving time after time because some things don’t come naturally to us, unlike the guys where you don’t even have to lift weights to look buff.
