I’ve certainly never heard “knuckleball” used in soccer - it wouldn’t make any sense to me at all. In the UK, a shot hit with side spin to form a curving path is known informally as a “curler”, or you might say a player “curled it into the top corner”.
Watch from 1:06 here for a nice illustration: http://youtu.be/A7PlBKfInAM?t=1m6s
Yeah, Youtube is full of soccer curve goals. Some are just absolutely incredible. See here. I assume something similar is happening in this field goal. The position of the ball when it’s held by the placeholder and the direction of the kick and spin imparted by the foot causes it to tumble and curve in the air. (If you look at the first soccer goal in the link above, it’s a right-footed kicker doing a left-to-right curve like in the field goal.) So I’m guessing similar aerodynamic forces are at play, although I’ve not quite seen it done like that in American football.
It hit pretty much where it dropped down. Balls don’t slide along the net - having watched lots of field goals and extra points where they behave exactly as described.
And this soccer kick is more what I would describe as a “knuckleball.” Note in the slo-mo how there is no spin whatsoever on the ball. Like the baseball knuckleball, this makes the ball move rather unpredictably in flight, whereas with a curve, you can deduce its trajectory based on its spin.
A knuckleball is not one that curves due to its spinning - a knuckleball is thrown with NO spin, which is really hard to do, and it makes the ball dance in multiple directions in flight due to the airflow over the baseball’s stitched seams.
The reason it’s called a knuckleball is the way the pitcher holds it while throwing - the ends of his fingers are curled over, so the fingernails are in contact with the ball, and it looks almost like he’s trying to hold it with the knuckles on the back side of his fingers. Like this: http://espn.go.com/photo/2012/0911/ny_u_dickard_cr_576.jpg
They usually behave like that. They also usually don’t hook as much as this one appeared to.
Plenty of balls hook that much, they just don’t usually go through the uprights. Balls don’t really slide along the net.
Somewhere there’s a telekinetic 49ers fan who used his powers to win a bet.
I mean, that’s the thing. There seems to be a disconnect between the people who watch a lot of football and the people who don’t. It’s so obvious to me that I’m wondering why this is even an argument.
Just to clarify my position: He’s kicking it from center field. If you pause the video right after he kicks it, you’ll see it take off toward the left goalpost. Then it suddenly starts to curve to the right at a pretty extreme angle (which is what is so impressive). Then, and only then, does it pass through the goalpost and hit the net. It is now lined up with the guy holding a kid who raises his right arm (to the left of the guy in the 52 shirt–his left), and falls straight down to the ground without moving to the left or the right. Then the announcers freak out and the 49ers win. 
I watch very little football, but it seems obvious to me as well.
However, I understand what ZenBeam is saying, and I’d like to have a way to prove his idea wrong. I may have to sign up for that free trial of a for-pay web site that SlackerInc referred to.
As far as a ball seeming to suddenly hook to one side, it’s worth noting what you’ll see if you’re standing behind a ball after it’s kicked towards a target downfield, and the ball is aimed slightly left of the target but curves to the right with a constant curve (so that it would make a perfect circle if it could keep going and going without hitting the net or falling to the ground or anything). From your point of view as you watch the ball while lining up with the target, the ball will move slowly to the left , then slowly back to the right, then faster and faster to the right. (draw a picture if it’s not clear why). And with our less then perfect perception, it will often seem like the ball is suddenly moving faster to the right, even though it’s just gradually moving faster to the right.
So a ball that looks like it suddenly hooks right may not really be doing anything physically strange at all.
I drew the picture, with the ball traveling in a hypothetical circle 200 yards in diameter.
In the first 1/3 of the ball’s flight, it moves left about 1 yard.
In the second 1/3, it moves back to the centerline, so 1 yard to the right.
In the final 1/3, it moves a further 2.5 yards to the right, striking the net nearly behind the right goalpost.
Now I am finally convinced we need a “Like” button 
Only on the Dope.
Brilliant!!
I too want a “Like” button! H/t also to **Quercus **for the idea.
That is a really interesting optical effect and an interesting point about what could be going on here. I still wonder though why it is so rarely seen?
Another “Like” for this “literal LOL” post:
Now I’m picturing the guys from that movie Chronicle: “Dude! Don’t make it so obvious–you’re going to get us caught.”
[quote=“Cugel, post:36, topic:704327”]
Here’s a bit of Johnathan Thurston’s work with the curving “rugby” ball (he plays league)
[/QUOTE]The really interesting one is at 1:30 of that clip.
Thurston is a right footer and therefore his usual action is to hook from right to left. He will use that action even when he is wide out on the right.
In the example at 1:30 he deliberately kicks inside the line which imparts the spin causing the left to right slice, which is what you see in the field goal in the OP.
Great video. I wonder why we don’t normally see that happen in football?
