Racquetball is played with a rubber ball with a racquet in an indoor or outdoor court. The game was invented by Joe Sobek, a professional tennis and handball player. However the game itself was named by Bob McInerney, another professional tennis player. The first professional racquet tournament was organized in 1974 by the IRA (International Racquetball Association), later renamed the USAR.

The IRF (International Racquetball Federation) is the official governing body for all international racquetball tournaments and championship events. The World Racquetball Championships are organized by the IRF, and held every two years. In the World Championship games, awards given for racquetball comprise of two parts – the individual title and the overall team title. The overall team title is the total of the men’s and women’s team performances.
Awards given for racquetball at the regional level are presented in tournaments organized by the regional associations of the IRF; these include the Asian Championships, European Championships and Pan American Championships.

Players from the United States dominate most of the World Championship games. Awards given for racquetball also extend to the winners in the World Junior Racquetball Championship and the World Senior Racquetball Championship events. Any player aged 35 years and above is termed as senior. Racquetball is included as a full medal sport in the Central American Games and the Central American Carribean Games.

There are three professional racquetball organizations - the IRT (International Racquetball Tour) The Women’s Professional Racquetball Organization (WPRO) and the Classic Pro Racquetball Tour (CPRT). The IRT represents the professional series which features the finest players and highly rated pro tournaments in the US and the world. The CPRT comprises of professional players aged 40 and above. while the WPRO represents female professional racquetball talents from countries around the world.

The most coveted award given for racquetball is the title in the US open. It is the most distinguished racquetball event and includes competitive divisions for amateur players. Other championships around the world include the European Racquetball Championships organized by the ERF (European Racquetball Federation). ERF awards given for racquetball are presented to the strongest European teams. Another event organized by the ERF is the XV Racquetball European Championships.

USA Racquetball (USAR) is the national governing body for racquetball, and recognized by the US Olympic Committee. The awards given for racquetball from the USAR, named the Racquetball Annual Awards are presented to recognize outstanding athletes and contributors for the year. They include Joe Sobek Outstanding Contribution Award, Presidential Award, John Halverson Fair Play Award, Peggy Steding Award, Bud Muehleisen Award, Female Athlete of the Year Award and the Male Athlete of the Year Award. The mentioned awards given for racquetball are based on the players’ participation and performance in a stipulated number of designated international tournaments. The Joe Sobek award is named after the inventor of the racquetball game, while the Peggy Steding award is named after the first outstanding female racquetball player.

The British had their national racquetball association called the British Racketball Association. It was recognized as the governing body of racquetball by the English Sports Council. The British Racketball Association later merged with the English Squash Rackets Association.