What Is the Shape of a Football? And Why It Matters

A Wilson football lying on a football field.

Football is the most popular sport in the United States and there’s a lot of aspects that make the game so exciting to watch. One of these aspects is the shape of the football, which allows for more accurate passes and high-scoring games.

So, what is the shape of a football?

The shape of a football is an elongated spheroid or prolate spheroid. It features two pointed ends and a longer axis, allowing for tight spirals during throws, influencing ball behavior on the field, and has become an iconic symbol of the sport worldwide.

While the shape of a football is rather simple, it has evolved over time. Throughout this article we’ll dive into how the football original got its shape, its evolution over the years, how it’s made, and more – so keep reading!

What Is the Shape of a Football?

A football’s shape is commonly referred to as a prolate spheroid, a three-dimensional object that is elongated along its polar axis. This shape provides a perfect balance between aerodynamics and ease of handling during games.

The curvature of a prolate spheroid is continuous, which means it is longer than its circumference. This oval shape allows footballs to spiral through the air more efficiently, enabling longer, more accurate throws.

The dimensions of a football, including its length and circumference, also contribute to its unique shape. The shape has been specifically designed for optimal performance during gameplay – it ensures that players can easily grip, throw, and catch the ball.

It is important to note that the term “football” encompasses different sports in various regions of the world. For instance, a soccer ball is not shaped like a prolate spheroid but is instead a truncated icosahedron, a three-dimensional object with 32 sides.

Both prolated spheroids and truncated icosahedrons have distinct advantages when it comes to their respective sports.

The prolate spheroid shape of a football allows for precise control over passes and kicks in American football and rugby, while the spherical shape of a soccer ball ensures smoother rolling and more uniform bounces during gameplay.

How Did the Football Get its Shape?

In the early days of football, the sport didn’t have a standardized ball shape. Footballs were often made from inflated pig bladders, which gave them an irregular shape, causing the game to have inconsistent gameplay.

The sport’s origin can be traced back to various forms of football played in England during the 19th century, such as rugby and Eton. These early forms of football used balls made from inflated pig bladders covered in leather. As a result, footballs were not perfectly spherical but had an oblong shape, like a prolate spheroid.

The development of modern football began when Richard Lindon, a shoemaker and rugby enthusiast, created a new and improved ball using a rubber bladder. His creation was more consistent in shape and less prone to deflating compared to the pig bladder version.

This was a crucial step in the game’s evolution, as it provided a reliable and durable ball for players to use.

During the same period, different schools and universities, such as Princeton, Rutgers, and Cambridge, were developing their own rules for the sport. Rugby balls were gradually modified to become more oval-shaped, which allowed the players to handle and pass the ball more easily.

A key aspect of the modern football’s design is its shape, which minimizes air drag and allows it to move more swiftly through the air with a more predictable trajectory when thrown or kicked.

The football’s shape was also influenced by scientific principles, such as Bernoulli’s principle and the Magnus effect. These principles help explain how an object’s shape can influence the way it moves through the air, creating lift, drag, and spin.

The current dimensions for both NFL and NCAA footballs are 11-11.25 inches along the long axis, a circumference of 28-28.5 inches around the middle, and 20-20.5 inches around the pointed ends.

Why Is the Football Shaped This Way?

A high school wide receiver catching the football.

One of the reasons for the football’s shape is its origin in the use of inflated pig bladders. These natural materials took on a prolate spheroidal form when inflated, which became a standard for early footballs. As the game evolved and synthetic materials replaced pig bladders, the iconic design was maintained.

The prolate spheroid shape is not just a historical artifact, however. It has practical benefits for the game of football as well. The elongated design allows for a better grip when running with the ball and makes it easier to throw stable forward passes with accuracy.

The streamlined shape also contributes to reducing drag, enabling the ball to travel further when kicked or thrown.

In the early days of football, the primary focus was on the running and kicking game. The prolate spheroid shape lent itself particularly well to this style of play, as it could easily be picked up, carried securely, and kicked with precision.

As the sport continued to develop, the forward pass became an essential component of modern football. The football’s prolate spheroid shape allowed these forward passes to benefit from a tight spiral rotation, which stabilizes the ball during flight, making it more accurate and easier to catch.

How Has the Shape of the Football Changed Over Time?

Throughout history, the shape of the football has evolved alongside the development of different sports and their rules. Originally, footballs were made of leather and were more spherical, similar to modern-day soccer balls.

Over time, however, the football shape moved towards a more elongated form, better suited for games like rugby and American football.

The origins of the oval-shaped football can be traced back to the early days of rugby. Richard Lindon, a British bootmaker, began experimenting with a more elongated design for rugby balls in the mid-19th century.

Lindon’s new shape was intended to make the ball easier to handle and carry while playing the game. He also developed a rubber version of the ball, moving away from the traditional leather exterior, which further influenced its design and shape.

The development of American football was heavily influenced by rugby. The first recorded game of American football took place between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869, and many of the early rules were borrowed from rugby.

As American football began to evolve, so did its ball shape. The prolate spheroid design that we associate with American football today is flatter, more elongated, and facilitates the spiral throws unique to the sport.

The National Football League (NFL) was established in 1920, and throughout its history, the league has imposed standard rules and specifications regarding the football’s size and shape. The current shape of the ball was designed to encourage the spiral and make it easier to grip, throw, and catch.

Today, an official NFL football must be 11-11.25 inches long, have a long circumference between 28-28.5 inches, a short circumference between 21-21.25 inches, and weigh 14-15 ounces.

Different Parts of a Football

A football has a prolate spheroid shape with more pointed ends. This design allows for easier grip, throwing, and carrying. The exterior is made of leather or synthetic material, referred to as pigskin, while the interior contains a rubber bladder.

The ball’s shape, coupled with its unique lacing system, enhances its aerodynamics and allows for greater throwing distances. The laces on a football hold it together and also facilitate grip when passing or carrying the ball, as they create an elevated surface area for the fingers to hold onto.

The grip of a football is essential for players to have better control during games. Footballs also feature a pebbled texture on their surface, along with the laces, to help the quarterback have a better grip when throwing.

How Are Footballs Made?

The manufacturing process of a football involves selecting the right materials, creating the internal structure, and assembling the cover.

Initially, footballs were made from inflated pig’s bladder, which explains their prolate spheroid shape. The modern football is made of an inflated rubber bladder enclosed in a pebble-grained leather cover or cowhide. This choice of material ensures durability and an easily tanned surface.

The internal structure of a football is crucial for maintaining its pressure and overall integrity. The rubber bladder is inflated and sealed to provide a consistent playing experience. The external cover consists of roughly four panels, each crafted from leather or cowhide.

These panels are stitched together, leaving a small opening for the placement and inflation of the rubber bladder.

Laces play a vital role in improving the grip of players handling the football. These laces ensure accuracy and control while passing, carrying, or recovering the ball during fumbles.