Okay kiddo, have you ever played with a regular softball? The one that's about as big as your hand? Well, imagine a softball that's much bigger - 16 inches in fact! That's what a 16-inch softball looks like.
Now, this softball is special because it's actually really soft. It's made from a special material that makes it squishy and easy to catch, which means you don't need a glove to play!
People have been playing with this soft, giant ball since the early 1900s, especially in Chicago. It's a really popular game there, and they even have their own special rules for it.
The game is played with two teams, each with a bunch of players. The field is a big circle, and the goal is for one team to hit the ball and the other team to catch it before it hits the ground. If the ball is caught, the batter is out.
But that's not all - there are some other special rules in 16-inch softball. For example, you're not allowed to wear any gloves, like we talked about earlier. Also, the ball has to be hit really hard and really far for it to count as a home run.
So that's 16-inch softball in a nutshell, kiddo. It's a fun, squishy game that people in Chicago love to play, and it's different from regular softball because you don't need a glove to catch the ball!