I looked it up and here’s what I got: “Why is a football called a pig skin?These early round balls were made of inflated pig bladders. This is why footballs got the nickname “pigskins.” The earliest games of football featured mobs from opposing villages attempting to kick an inflated pig bladder into the balcony of their opponents’ church!"
Footballs were originally inflated with the bladders of animals, including those from swine. In later years, these animal bladders were placed inside a leather cover, giving rise to the term “pigskin.” The bladder of pig (or another animal) was inflated into more of an oval shape than the familiar pointed tips of today’s game balls.
The process of inflating these early pigskins was fairly distasteful as you might imagine. Straw and other material would oftentimes be stuffed in the pig bladder instead, but this tended to create balls with lumps and strange shapes that made official game play difficult.
Fortunately, blowing up pig bladders fell out of fashion for both pro and recreational football players with the invention of vulcanized rubber in the 1860s.
C over 1 year ago
It’s good to have some skin in the game
Sir Isaac over 1 year ago
I looked it up and here’s what I got: “Why is a football called a pig skin?These early round balls were made of inflated pig bladders. This is why footballs got the nickname “pigskins.” The earliest games of football featured mobs from opposing villages attempting to kick an inflated pig bladder into the balcony of their opponents’ church!"
mistercatworks over 1 year ago
“Pork cracklings, on the other hand …”
Teto85 Premium Member over 1 year ago
Footballs were originally inflated with the bladders of animals, including those from swine. In later years, these animal bladders were placed inside a leather cover, giving rise to the term “pigskin.” The bladder of pig (or another animal) was inflated into more of an oval shape than the familiar pointed tips of today’s game balls.
The process of inflating these early pigskins was fairly distasteful as you might imagine. Straw and other material would oftentimes be stuffed in the pig bladder instead, but this tended to create balls with lumps and strange shapes that made official game play difficult.
Fortunately, blowing up pig bladders fell out of fashion for both pro and recreational football players with the invention of vulcanized rubber in the 1860s.
Debra.night over 1 year ago
No discomfort over the origin of the leather?