How NFL Footballs Are Broken In

The NFL generates over fifteen billion dollars annually but here's what most fans don't

realize. Every single football used in a game gets opened fresh from the box just hours

before kickoff. Each team provides seventy two balls per game and they're all brand new.

But there's a catch. Before they hit the field, special teams staff spend two hours

rubbing them down to remove the factory coating because straight out of the box they're

way too slippery to throw. That's right, every touchdown pass you've ever

seen was thrown with a ball that someone manually broke in that same day.