How Wilson Manufactures 700,000 Footballs a Year | Popular Mechanics

Subscribe to PopMech: http://bit.ly/SUBSCRIBEtoPOPMECH

In a century and a half since the first game of American football, the sport has evolved from a grind-it-out ground war to the passing-dominated aerial assault that is NFL football in 2023.

But the evolution of playcalling tactics isn't the only factor that brought us here. You can credit technological innovation, too. The long bombs you might see in the Super Bowl as Tom Brady chucks the official Wilson game ball downfield wouldn't even have been possible during the early days of the game, when the odd size and shape of early footballs made passing impossible.

The football has evolved steadily since the first game was played at Rutgers University in New Jersey on Nov. 6, 1869. But even though the forward pass was legalized in 1906, until the ball took on its present size and shape in 1935, the pass was a nonplay. The ball used in the very first game was round, like a soccer ball. It was tough to carry, and awkward to throw. Then, in 1874, a rugby-type ball was used in a contest between McGill University Foot-Ball-Club and Harvard University Football Club. This new ball looked like a watermelon and wasn't much easier to throw. But laterals and short flips were becoming common.

For the rest of the story, click here: https://bit.ly/3HstP8g

--------------------------------------
Facebook:   / popularmechanics  
Twitter:   / popmech  
Instagram:   / popularmechanics  
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/popmech/?au...
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@popularmechan...

#madehere #football #nfl

How Footballs Are Made | Made Here | Popular Mechanics