# NFL: Underinflated Balls? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 21, 2015, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515 "2015-01-21T20:17:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/21 "2015-01-22T04:31:15Z")
Underinflated Balls = Band Name ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/22 "2015-01-22T05:57:37Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Underinflated Balls = Band Name Where’s the damn “Like” button here. yeah, yeah, I know. I’m leaving now. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/23 "2015-01-22T06:55:29Z")
Another colossal embarassment for the NFL. I’m not defending what the Patriots did, but here we have a league that rakes in billions of dollars a year hand over fist, and they have no system in place during the game to make sure the balls are not tampered with? The officials handle the balls all during the game, at no point did any of them pick up the ball and say, whooooa wait a minute, something isn’t right here . . . . and it makes the NFL look Mickey Mouse. My Lord a baseball umpire sees the wrong dirt mark on a baseball, it gets rejected. ---
**Author:** ![bizerta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/24 "2015-01-22T12:19:00Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Does a mildly underinflated ball matter? Seems like it would be unfamiliar and thus harder to work with. On a related note: If one inflates a ball to 12PSI with hot air (say, 50C/122F), how much does the pressure drop as the ball cools to 5C/41F? Could this be the “cause” of deflategate? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/25 "2015-01-22T12:48:37Z")
Whoever came up with, “cheaters never win” didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/26 "2015-01-22T12:52:36Z")
I keep trying to rationalize how the underinflated balls gets the Packers into the Super Bowl but still haven’t figured that out… I have long thought that instead of the Pro Bowl (which most folks don’t care about) the losers of the NFC and AFC championship games play for third place. I’d watch Packers vs Colts, am probably NOT watching the Pro Bowl. Brian ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/27 "2015-01-22T13:00:46Z")
Football seems to be unique in letting the teams supply their own balls. In baseball the home team may buy them, but they have to buy official league balls and the umpires mud them up before the game and have custody of them plus the same batch of balls is used by both teams. Hockey has official league pucks chilled before game time. Not sure about basketball, since both teams use the same ball and fewer balls are used- does the home team supply the ball or does the NBA? ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/28 "2015-01-22T13:15:35Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > On a related note: If one inflates a ball to 12PSI with hot air (say, 50C/122F), how much does the pressure drop as the ball cools to 5C/41F? Could this be the “cause” of deflategate? This is the kind of add-on question I was after–really wanted this to be a GQ topic and not end up in Game Room. Opinions about the NFL in general, and the Patriots in particular, I already have. I was looking for the science aspects of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/29 "2015-01-22T13:28:50Z")
I don’t know how rigorous their science is, but ESPN has a video on [how much of an advantage it would be](http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12207314). Conclusion: not much. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/30 "2015-01-22T14:10:19Z")
We gotta bring back Gerald Ford’s “Whip Inflation Now” buttons. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/31 "2015-01-22T14:17:16Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > Another colossal embarassment for the NFL. I think you and I have vastly different definitions of the word “colossal”. Compared to slack punishment for domestic abusers and beating a kid with a stick, having balls underinflated in small potatoes. It had no effect of the outcome of the game and a majority of this fauxrage is just part of the reaction to the hype of the Super Bowl. Sure, the Patriots, as is their wont, may have broken the rules and may be punished by the NFL, but trying to pretend this is some kind of major story that is anything more than a minor distraction is silly. ---
**Author:** ![Bootis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/32 "2015-01-22T14:20:44Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > So, supposing the Patriots actually did sabotage the balls to their advantage in the playoffs game. > > What are the actual _consequences_ they could face under NFL rules? > > Could they be disqualified from the Super Bowl and a new championship team put in? Could their win be annulled? Do they just get a fine and get to play the Big Game anyway in spite of their having demonstrably cheated to get there? The rulebook says lists the punishment for improper ball inflation as a 25k fine. I think the reason no one has hear of anything like this, and no ones ever even been investigated let alone punished, it that slight variances of football inflation has never been something the nfl or anyone else, until this week, has ever cared about. I mean the let the QBs Groom their own footballs to their preference , scuff, wear down, whatever they want. Super sticky gloves are allowed. The ball itself is not nearly as integral as it is in, say, baseball ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/33 "2015-01-22T14:40:02Z")
> [@bizerta](#): > > On a related note: If one inflates a ball to 12PSI with hot air (say, 50C/122F), how much does the pressure drop as the ball cools to 5C/41F? Could this be the “cause” of deflategate? There was a discussion about it on /r/askscience - [here it is](http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/2t5y5s/if_an_nfl_football_is_125_psi_at_68_degrees/). Seems like if you actually dropped the temperate 20 degrees F it would lower the pressure by a couple of PSI. Whether the freezing rain could actually do that was up for discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/34 "2015-01-22T14:40:03Z")
> [@Bootis](#): > > I think the reason no one has hear of anything like this, and no ones ever even been investigated let alone punished, it that slight variances of football inflation has never been something the nfl or anyone else, until this week, has ever cared about. They care enough to make it a rule. A rule that the Patriots, it is believed, intentionally broke. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/35 "2015-01-22T15:00:01Z")
> [@Hamlet](#): > > They care enough to make it a rule. A rule that the Patriots, it is believed, intentionally broke. The NFL has lots of thing they “care” enough about to make rules. Like wearing gear from approved vendors (Nike right now, I think). Or rules about face paint. Or the color tape allowed on shoes. Or tucking in uniforms into pants. If the Patriots broke this particular rule, I’m ok with punishing them over it. But I’m going to take it about 2% more seriously than a player wearing gold cleats or sporting “Beats” headphones on the field instead of the NFL approved Bose. It would have made about as much difference to the outcome as Tom Brady wearing unapproved eyeblack. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/36 "2015-01-22T15:04:51Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > The NFL has lots of thing they “care” enough about to make rules. Like wearing gear from approved vendors (Nike right now, I think). Or rules about face paint. Or the color tape allowed on shoes. Or tucking in uniforms into pants. > > If the Patriots broke this particular rule, I’m ok with punishing them over it. > > But I’m going to take it about 2% more seriously than a player wearing gold cleats or sporting “Beats” headphones on the field instead of the NFL approved Bose. It would have made about as much difference to the outcome as Tom Brady wearing unapproved eyeblack. As I said, I think this has been blown out of proportion and had no effect on the outcome of the game. Which does nothing to change the fact that, if true, it is yet more evidence that the Patriots are a bunch of cheating bastards who deserve absolutely no respect. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/37 "2015-01-22T15:19:00Z")
So I played QB in a pretty competitive flag football league a few years ago. Each team provides their own NFL regulation ball when their on offense. You bet your ass I underinflated our ball. It doesn’t take much to make a significant difference in grip for throwing. Tom Brady knew those balls were deflated and I suspect the AFC championship game was not the first time he pulled that stunt. The Pats should absolutely be punished in some form. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/38 "2015-01-22T15:25:49Z")
I wonder if anybody thought to check the footballs that the Colts used for proper inflation. ---
**Author:** ![FuriousGeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecae2f/32.png) [@FuriousGeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FuriousGeorge)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/39 "2015-01-22T15:40:39Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > The NFL has lots of thing they “care” enough about to make rules. Like wearing gear from approved vendors (Nike right now, I think). Or rules about face paint. Or the color tape allowed on shoes. Or tucking in uniforms into pants. > > If the Patriots broke this particular rule, I’m ok with punishing them over it. > > But I’m going to take it about 2% more seriously than a player wearing gold cleats or sporting “Beats” headphones on the field instead of the NFL approved Bose. It would have made about as much difference to the outcome as Tom Brady wearing unapproved eyeblack. While, yeah, in the grand scheme of things; it’s small potatoes; it just shows a consistent, on going, continued effort by the New England Patriots organization, as a whole, to break whatever rules exist, no matter how big or small. It’s, for me at least, the contniued ongoing thing, that arrogrance and continued breaking of the rules, that really warrants giving them a smack down. Loss of a draft pick and $25K fine is nothing. I think that giving Bellichick a Sean Payton-like year-long unpaid vacation from the NFL would not be out of the realm of appropriate given this. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515/40 "2015-01-22T15:45:33Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I wonder if anybody thought to check the footballs that the Colts used for proper inflation. According to [this ESPN article](http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/12202450/nfl-says-new-england-patriots-had-inflated-footballs-afc-championship-game), yes, they did test the Colt’s balls, and they were all in-spec. Of course, that could be because of how little time the Colt’s balls were on the field. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-underinflated-balls/710515.md?page=3)