Kickball

Lore & Background

Kickball likely evolved from baseball or softball, which was initially played inside gymnasiums when invented in Chicago in 1887. Around the late 19th century, the YMCA was a hub for sports innovation, with basketball and volleyball being invented there. The earliest known set of rules resembling kickball appeared in the 1891 book 'Street Games of Brooklyn, NY' by Stewart Culin, describing a game called 'Kick the Ball' with four corners used as bases and four innings of play. In 1901, an organized game of kickball was played by youngsters in Chattanooga, Tennessee, reported by the Chattanooga Sunday Times. The Cincinnati Post wrote in 1908 about the game's popularity in Cincinnati-area public schools, using a regulation basketball. Dr. Emmett Dunn Angell claimed to have invented kickball, originally called 'Kicking Baseball', as early as 1910, and his description in his book 'Play' is considered the closest and earliest known precursor to the modern game. Nicholas C Seuss, Supervisor of Cincinnati Park Playgrounds, submitted a documented overview in 1917 in 'The Playground Book', referring to the game as 'Kick Base Ball' and 'Kick Baseball'.

Reader's Guide

Kickball's significance lies in its accessibility as an introduction to related sports like baseball and softball, requiring no specialized equipment or highly skill-based positions. It became especially popular as a recess sport on playgrounds across the United States in the 1970s and is now played in various forms in countries around the world, including Canada, England, Japan, South Korea, and South America. The first known adult kickball leagues were formed in Great Falls, Montana, in October 1921, with six teams organized and games played in the YMCA gymnasium. The World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA), founded in 1998, has helped organize adult leagues in many cities. The game's legacy includes its use by physical education teachers in US public schools from 1920–1921 to teach young boys and girls the basics of baseball, and its reported play by U.S. soldiers during the Tunisia Campaign of 1942–1943, as noted by war correspondent Ernie Pyle.

Did You Know?

• Kickball is known as soccer baseball in most of Canada and football rounders in the United Kingdom.
• The earliest known set of rules for a game resembling kickball appeared in the 1891 book 'Street Games of Brooklyn, NY' by Stewart Culin, called 'Kick the Ball'.
• The earliest documented adult kickball leagues are associated with the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA), founded in 1998.
• Kickball's history includes no verified reports from World War II correspondents; its documented growth occurred primarily in schools and later adult recreational leagues.