Just like the journey from Pee Wees to Pros is a long and winding one, the oblong, laced-up projectile that’s the focal point for hundreds of millions of fans comes from humble, grass-chomping beginnings. Let’s travel together down the road from cow to kickoff, and learn where that pigskin actually comes from (spoiler alert: its not from a pig).
We begin with a little history lesson. A version of the game of football as we know it dates all the way back to the time of the Ancient Greeks. Back in Ye Olden Days, the ball used was actually an inflated pig’s bladder. Pig bladders were abundant back in those dismal times, and some poor serf would blow them up and tie them off so the landed gentry could kick ’em around.
Fast forward some centuries to 1855, when manufactured inflatable balls were introduced (more on that process in a bit). Two types of football had evolved at the prep schools and Ivies on the East Coast — one focused on kicking, and one on carrying. That is until the “Boston Game” of 1862, when a mishmash of both versions came to be. Rules were standardized over the next few decades, and Walter Camp became known as the father of the modern game (he pinned down the rules, and got things looking like there was actually some order to things rather than an unruly mob of thugs attacking each other, which is what we call ‘rugby’).
So, how ’bout them balls? Well, a single cowhide can be transformed into ten footballs, each constructed of four panels and a single piece of lace woven through 16 holes.
But how? Four identical panels are required. Sew them together, punch the holes for the lace, and insert a rubber bladder (your pig will thank you). Inflate it to 13 PSI.
In order to be ‘official,’ your ball must measure between 20.75″ and 21.25″ in diameter, with a circumference of 11-11.25″ in length. It should also weigh 14-15oz.
But you’ll have your work ahead of you — according to the NFL, home teams are required to have 36 balls for outdoor games and 24 for indoor games. Each ball’s tested for appropriate pressure two hours prior to the game. Twelve special balls, still sealed in their boxes, are opened by the officials and exclusively used for the kicking game. The balls are branded with a “K” but are otherwise identical to regulation balls.
And where do all those balls come from? Ada, Ohio — in 1941 a golden deal was signed by Wilson and the NFL to ensure that only Wilson balls were used come game time. And since then, apart from a period from the time of the NFL-AFL merger and one redesign, ‘The Duke’ has been the ball at the center of every major game. Named in honor of Wellington Mara (if you were named after a beef dish you’d go by ‘The Duke,’ too), a man who dedicated his life to the New York Giants and the NFL in general, The Duke has been produced by the same Ada factory for over 50 years. In fact, factory workers have on average 23 years experience with the company, so you can be sure a lot of love goes into each and every one of the over 700,000 balls produced there annually.
And there you have it! The pig skin, deconstructed.
