02/09/2024
Fun fact Friday-
How Does the Weight of a Football Impact the Game?
The Standard
A standard NFL football must weigh between 14 and 15 ounces. Most of this weight is the materials, but some of it is air pressure. Each ball has between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds of air per square inch (PSI) of pressure – or 200 to 216 ounces PSI.
Most of this weight is the materials, but some of it is air pressure. Each ball has between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds of air per square inch (PSI) of pressure – or 200 to 216 ounces PSI.
During the Super Bowl this Sunday, they’ll use at least 120 footballs. Half for one team, half for the other, and a few dedicated for kicking. They’ll likely bring even more for practice and some to keep as back-ups.
About two-and-a-half hours before kickoff, the footballs intended for game use will all examined by an official. They'll weigh, measure, check for air pressure, and pass approval, then bring them to the field.
Because they split the 120 footballs in half and give them to each team, those teams will mostly use and interact with their own side's footballs. With the exception, of course, of interceptions and fumbles. They play a new football every down.
Deflate-Gate
You may remember “deflate-gate,” back in 2015. Deflate-gate is a controversy wherein the New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady was accused of cheating. Allegedly, he and the Patriots were involved in the deflation of his team’s footballs, up to 2 pounds PSI below standard.
Regular NFL games use about 12 – 24 footballs per team instead of 60 or so. After an interception by the Indianapolis Colts against the Patriots in 2015, that ball was handed over to be replaced with a new one as normal.
An official noticed that the ball had lost more weight and air pressure than expected, prompting an investigation.
As the footballs had been approved about two hours before the game, the deflation would have had to have occurred in the span of time after approval and before kickoff.
Deflating footballs reduces the volume of air inside, impacting the weight of the football itself. It also makes the football more malleable, so it’s easier to grip and throw. Had the Patriots been using deflated footballs during their game against the Colts, it may have been a contributing factor for their win that day. Seeing as that win led the Patriots to the Super Bowl that year, it was especially important to rule out cheating.
However, the Patriots denied these claims, suggesting instead that external temperature changes between the approval room and the field caused the deflation.
Some sources argue that cheating is more likely since the weather would have impacted all footballs, rather than just the Patriots’. Other sources say there is a lack of proof, and we should give the team the benefit of the doubt. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Whether the Chiefs or the 49ers win, we hope you enjoy Super Bowl LVIII – and you share your newfound knowledge of official football weight measurements with your viewing party.