Too often in America today, adults are far too busy with work, parenting, and a million other things in their lives to take some time to enjoy themselves and their fellow community members. With all of the various pressures that life exerts, it sometimes seems like a pipe dream to envision spending time with other people in the community in a social setting. One of the best ways to do this is to get involved in an evening softball league, which are staples in many communities across the country. Here, neighbors gather as friends and friendly competitors for camaraderie, socialization, and, of course, softball.

The first softball game was played in 1887, on Thanksgiving Day, but the game has evolved very much since then. It is now an Olympic sport, although only for females, and there are also several highly competitive collegiate-level softball tournaments every year. Community softball, however, is very different from those fast-paced, high stakes games. For one, the pressure to win is much less. In a community softball game, the focus is not so much on winning as it is on having a good time, winding down after the pressures of the day, and spending some time with your friends and neighbors. Winning is important, for sure, and teams keep score, but the competition is friendly, and there are no bench-clearing brawls in a game of community softball. A riot is far more likely to break out if a team runs out of pizza in their dugout.

Community softball also offers Americans a great way to socialize with their neighbors. With all the demands on their time, the average person cannot take the time to stop and smell the roses, to converse with their neighbors and friends and just spend a little time reflecting on life. Softball, unlike baseball, has a very lackadaisical air to it, and that relaxed atmosphere can allow two lifelong friends to finally catch up, as opposed to their normal schedules, which may allow only time for a casual wave and a hurried greeting shouted across the street before rushing off to work.

When playing a game of community softball, it is common practice for the spouses and significant others of the players to gather in bleachers behind the softball diamond and catch up and converse themselves. If a group of men in the dugout are talking about the latest news at the factory where they work, their significant others might be discussing the best places to put children in daycare. These informal methods of communication are key to developing and maintaining the underlying fabric of a community, and one of the hallmarks of a vibrant community is when their community softball leagues are always full, grown men and women running around a softball diamond as if they were still youths, not middle-aged persons with mortgages and car loans and full-time jobs.

Community softball allows people to re-connect with the childhood that they once had, and it makes the community a stronger, more vibrant place. Community softball is a great way to play a recreational sport and strengthen the bonds of the community.

Author Bio: I write for TIR Massage Stone about hot stone massage and massage stone therapy including hot and cold applications.

Category: Sports
Keywords: softball,riot,community softball,strengthen the bonds