Over lunch recently, my colleagues and I were discussing the term "hardcore," and speculating on its origin. Our speculations evolved into "What has either a hard or soft core, where the hard cored thing would be used by professionals and the soft cored one by amateurs?" because this is where we figured the terms originated.
Following this discussion, I did some research and found that the origins of hardcore (by way of Etymology Online) are most likely from the original definition of hardcore:
material such as stones and broken bricks used as the foundation for buildings, roads etc.
rather than having to do with a fruit or ball as our lunch group had envisioned. The foundation connotation is presumably the important connection between these usages.
However, looking into softcore has produced less satisfactory results. I found this description from 1875, which explains hard-core and soft-core and says that soft-core is essentially compostable garbage. What I don't understand is how this word came to be associated with its current, more familiar meaning, which is as a milder or watered down version of "hardcore."
Given their relationship, I expected there to be a more explicit connection between the two. For instance, that soft-core was a layer applied after hard-core or that inferior roads used soft-core instead of hard-core, but that doesn't seem to be the case. What is the connection here?
Best Answer
From the comments to the OP:
My understanding of the terms "hardcore" and "softcore" come from baseball and softball, and the term "hardcore" at least is roughly synonymous with "playing hardball" which is definitely baseball-related.
More in-depth: Since the early 1900s at least, baseball has been played with the eponymous cork-cored, twine-wrapped, leather-skinned sphere that has near-universal recognition. The only significant change to the "official" baseball used in the major leagues was during WWII when rubber was substituted as the core material to replace cork (which was needed for the war effort). Cork baseballs are small, dense, and not very forgiving; in fact, players have died from head trauma after being "beaned" and been forced to retire after making barehanded catches that shattered every bone in their hand. Such a ball is a "hardball", and playing with it is "hardcore baseball".
The game of softball is not that much newer (1887 vs 1845 for baseball), but it evolved from the game we have come to know as baseball to create a more "casual" game. The name "softball" came from the original construction of softballs; primarily similar to baseballs, but much larger (up to 16" in circumference) and more loosely wound. As the early balls broke in, they really did become soft, and the game was actually originally intended to be played barehanded (thus requiring virtually no individual equipment; just one bat, one ball, and some base markers). Modern softballs are not very soft, and so the modern game is played with gloves (and "fast-pitch" leagues for women use practically all the same gear as men's baseball leagues with the primary exception of "pelvic protectors" replacing athletic cups), but the balls still "give" more than cork baseballs, and more often incorporate softer core materials such as rubber.
The two games have both been around long enough in recognizable forms, along with the eponymous balls used to play them, to be the origins of the terms. My thoughts are that "hardcore" came first, and then "softcore" followed as a complementary antonym. Unfortunately the sexual connotation the terms have gained makes it difficult to do real research into the terms themselves from a work computer. I know the term "hardcore" has been commonly used figuratively since at least the Vietnam War.