r/Softball rules, stats, and what to post

r/Softball is a community for fastpitch softball, covering everything from rec league and travel ball to high school and college play. People come here to talk about gear, coaching, player advice, recruiting, and the rules of the game. Slowpitch topics are welcome too, so the tent is wider than just fastpitch. Based on the rules, the people posting here include players, parents, and coaches, which is why there is a specific rule about being careful when posting videos that show other people's children. This is a sport community, not a business community, so the people you meet are here because they love the game, coach it, or play it.

The big one for any founder is “No site/self-promotion (READ BEFORE YOU POST YOUR APP)”. It says you need to contribute to the community first, and even if your offering is free you must ask before you share your app, website, or tool. So promotion here is possible, but only after real participation and with permission. Next is “Respect Member Privacy”. This one is written specifically about minors in softball, so if you post videos or links with game footage, be careful about other people's children being on camera. “Be respectful. This will be enforced.” matters if your post touches gear debates or coaching opinions, because disrespectful behavior gets removed. “No politics or religion unless it touches softball. If so see rule #1.” keeps the room on topic, so keep your post about softball and nothing else. Finally, “Meaningful Participation Only...the 1% Contributor Rule” is the one that ends marketing careers in communities like this. Comments made just for visibility can be removed, and you can be banned for low effort or off topic responses.

The description gives you a clear map of what this community values, so build your post from one of those topics. A gear question answered from real experience works. So does coaching advice, a thoughtful take on rules, or help with recruiting questions. If you have game footage or a practice clip, you can share it, but keep the privacy rule in mind and avoid content that features other people's children. Comments matter as much as posts here, because the one percent contributor rule applies to replies too. Write comments that show you understand the topic and add something useful. If you have built a softball tool or app and want to share it eventually, spend time contributing first, then ask the moderators for permission before you offer it. The safe pattern is simple, give help in discussions about gear, coaching, and player development over weeks, and only then think about mentioning your own work.

The fastest way to get removed here is self-promotion before you have contributed. The rule is explicit that even free apps, websites, and tools require you to ask first, so do not post your product and hope for the best. The second danger is footage. If your post or link shows other people's children playing, think twice, because the privacy rule targets minors in softball specifically. Third, low effort comments will sink you. If your only reason for replying is to be seen, you can be removed and eventually banned. Fourth, keep politics and religion out unless they genuinely connect to softball, and even then stay respectful. And through all of it, be respectful, because the rule says it will be enforced.

What stands out to me here is rule three, which says even a free app or website needs you to contribute first and ask before you share it. That is a community telling you in plain language that trust comes before links. The privacy rule about children is the other thing I noticed, and honestly it makes sense for a sport full of youth players, so think hard before you post any game footage. My honest read is that this is a real sports community first, so show up to help people with gear, coaching, and recruiting questions long before you ever mention what you built.