Wheelchair softball was born over 29 years ago in the Midwest by a
few individuals with spinal cord injuries and lower extremity impairments, who still wanted to enjoy America’s greatest
pastime. These individuals needed to develop a way of playing without the full use of their legs that would allow easy maneuverability
in a wheelchair and keep the fast pace of softball.
Thus
was born a new game played on hard surfaces, such as a parking lot, instead of the normal grassy infield, and a 16-inch softball,
which allows wheelchair players to keep one hand on the wheelchair while catching a softball without a glove.
In 1976, the National Wheelchair Softball Association (NWSA) was founded and serves as the governing
body for wheelchair softball in the United States.
The game is played under the official rules of the 16-ich slow pitch softball as approved by Amateur Softball Association
of America with some exceptions geared toward the wheelchair user.
Teams throughout America compete
on a regular basis and host several tournaments throughout the summer. The NWSA hosts a National Wheelchair Softball Tournament
annually, which celebrated its 28th anniversary in Omaha, Nebraska, this past August.
Today,
NWSA governs over 30 teams nationwide. Many teams have sought and found allegiance and sponsorship with their Major League
Baseball (MLB) team counterparts, such as the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets,
Philadelphia Phillies, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. All of these teams wear their official MLB uniforms and compete with
pride under their respective professional team’s logo.
Wheelchair softball is an exciting and challenging summer sport that enables most wheelchair users to compete. To learn
more about the NWSA, visit its website at www.wheelchairsoftball.org .
