NFL Footballs

Why NFL Footballs Have Such A Crazy Shape

Nearly every children's game you ever played used a round ball. Baseball, kickball, soccer, volleyball, and basketball all used round balls. Some children don't play with a football until they reach the middle school years. The shape can be baffling.

The shape of the NFL football is almost a prolate spheroid. This is the shape of an ellipse rotated about its longer axis. The geometry of a football doesn't matter. What does matter is learning to control these very unpredictable NFL footballs.

The origins of NFL footballs are closely related to Canadian rugby. Rugby uses a similarly shaped ball. NFL footballs are more pointed on the ends, while the rugby balls are more rounded at the ends. The National Football League (NFL) and the current Canadian Football League (CFL) use balls that are very similar.

Generally NFL footballs are about 11 inches (approximately 28 cm) in length. The distance around the center of the ball is roughly 22 inches (or 56 cm). NFL footballs are made of leather. Amateur and toy footballs can be made of rubber, plastic or vinyl.

The specifications for NFL footballs require a short circumference (around the middle) of 20.25 to 21.25 inches (527 - 540 mm). The long circumference (end to end) is 27.25 to 29.50 inches (705 - 724 mm).

Surprisingly, NFL footballs and CFL footballs are made by the same company. Although the specifications for both balls are slightly different, it is likely that the balls are the same size.

One of the main differences between NFL footballs and CFL balls is cosmetic. CFL footballs have a complete white stripe 1-inch (25.4 mm) from both ends. NCAA (college) footballs have broken stripes, and regulation NFL footballs have no stripes.

NFL footballs with their nearly pointed ends can perform unpredictable bounces during play. These crazy bounces can be frustrating when trying to recover a fumble. On the other hand, these unpredictable bounces are part of the strategy of using the onsides kick. The goal of the onsides kick is to make the ball travel at least 10 yards, strike an opponent, and be recovered by the kicking team.

It is during the forward pass that NFL footballs lose their clumsiness and become something elegant. The quarterback is able to impart both spin and trajectory to the ball. The perfect spiral of a well-thrown pass brings the ball on an accurate ballistic course to the receiver. This type of accuracy would be difficult to achieve with an inflated ball that was round.

No one set out to design NFL footballs as they are today. The shape evolved from other sports. The same shape that gives football those unpredictable bounces also makes NFL footballs into precise projectiles when thrown.

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