Why do people say that baseball and softball are basically the same thing when really they are very different?

I think that baseball and softball are very different. Ya everyone knows the bats are different, the balls are different, and the pitching is different but personally I think that baseball is way more exciting. In baseball there tends to be more action. The boys hit the ball more. I'm not saying girls can't hit the ball. It could be the pitching that is bad but either way the boys hit the ball more. So why are people always saying they are basically the same thing? They are really very different. And with baseball you could go pro but there is no pro softball now is there?