Why
Pig Skin?
This is a
question that leaves many football players and fans clueless. Why has football
chosen to use pigskin? Out of the many various materials that we could use out
of all of them we chose pigskin? Let me give a try at explaining this hopefully
to help you understand better.
When
footballs where first made, believe it or not, they were not actually made out
of pig skin but pig bladder. This was used years before rubber was created. Pig
bladder was easy to get, they were already sort of round, and they could be
easily inflated and sealed. This whole process takes place in one lace and one
place only, and that is the Wilson football factory in Ohio. They have made all
balls for the NFL since 1941. They
produce over 700,000 footballs each year.
Ever wondered what the specifics are
for a football? Well here are just a few of them.
1. They must be 11-11.5 inches long
2. Weigh 14-15 ounces
3. Circumference should be 22 inches
Before each game there are a certain
number of balls each team is required to have. For outdoor games the home team
must supply 36 balls and 24 balls for inside games. There should be an additional
12 footballs specially marked with a “K.” These balls are to be specifically
used for kicking hence the letter on the ball. Wilson is not the only football
producer in the country. Nike, Adidas, Russell are all just a few other name
big names that also produce footballs. The thing that makes Wilson stand out is
there history in production and who they produce for.
Without the football there would be
no sport of football. The creation of the shape and the way it is made has come
a long way since 1941. If in fact the ball was completely round it would be
nearly impossible to ever complete a forward pass. It is harder to grip a round
ball then an oval shaped ball especially if you are launching it 50+ yards half
the game. Wilson really is the reason NFL quarterbacks and recievers look so
good. With out the change in shape of the ball, the game of football would not
be the same as we know it today. There would be a whole different skill set
needed to play at the top level.
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