ATLANTA (AP) — Game balls for World Cup matches have become stars in their own right during the tournament.
The ball has made headlines with its embedded technology and raised questions among fans, including: Why is everyone expected to promptly toss the ball back onto the pitch?
It's a question more out of curiosity than an outcry for change.
The thrill of catching a match ball is short-lived for World Cup -goers as staff members working the match await
on the pitch in a ready position for fans to throw it back, per FIFA policy.
Some fans try to get a quick selfie with the ball if they are lucky enough to get their hands on it. A game ball would definitely be a coveted memento, especially for those who have spent thousands on flights, hotels and 100-level tickets.
“I mean, the amount of money that I spent, I should definitely be able to keep a football when I catch it from the stadium,” England fan Jack Goodwin said. “I saved up for a house and blew my whole deposit bringing me and my dad out from London.”
It's a tradition for American sports fans — catch a baseball at a game and you have a souvenir for life. Bonus if it's a ball from a playoff game or a milestone moment for the hitter.
In soccer, not so much.
“We don’t know, and we don’t care,” one Congo fan said when asked if he knew why fans couldn't keep a ball kicked into the stands. “We didn’t come here for a prize, we came here to watch our country.”
Baseball fans climb over each other and jump over seats for balls that come their way. Most soccer fans don't have a problem throwing the ball back.
Getting to the “why?” FIFA's policy is so rigid can be difficult. FIFA did not respond to emails requesting comment on this story. However, theories range from tradition, to economic concerns, to the ball’s technology, to the flow of the game.
“I don't think there's ever been a policy where you can keep the ball, which, unlike baseball, is a fairly expensive piece of equipment,” soccer historian Charles Cutton said. “Back in the day, it was not unusual for there to be one ball at a game. That was it. If it went into the stands, you had to retrieve it or give it back so play could continue. Now you’ve got them stationed all over the field."
Fans can purchase FIFA balls from licensed venders or pop-up stands for anywhere from $60 to $180. It's unclear how much soccer's ruling body pays for match-day balls, though it would seem whatever the cost FIFA could afford to have a few more on hand to ensure the match is not interrupted if one sails into the stands and a fan holds onto to it.
But while Major League Baseball fans eventually won the right to keep balls hit into the stands, soccer has stood firm in its expectations over the years. The evolution of the ball itself has only reinforced FIFA's interest in getting each one back.
This year's World Cup ball, the Adidas Trionda, is the most sophisticated to date.
Gone are the days of hand-stitched, leather, 32-panel balls.
“They've evolved from being natural materials like leather to now being a polymeric material," Georgia Tech professor Jud Ready said. “That's done for a couple of reasons. First, cost, but also, performance, because polyurethane does not absorb moisture like leather would.”
The Trionda is a four-panel, thermally pressed polyurethane ball, but perhaps the most defining feature is on the inside, where a 500Hz motion sensor sends real-time data to the video assistant referee system to help officials with decisions, including the oft-controversial offsides call.
Real-time data also goes to match referees to determine whether the ball has crossed the goal-line.
“The World Cup balls have radio frequency transmitters inside to serve basically as a GPS, as well as accelerometers to understand how much force is being kicked," Ready said.
Ready's colleague, professor Manos Tentzeris, said the sensor operates with 99.99% accuracy. Paired with cameras, it can pinpoint the precise location of anything on the pitch down to the tip of a shoe, which can be enough to determine whether a player is offside.
That technology isn't quite as valuable outside the stadium. Ready said the ball relies on stadium infrastructure to communicate with officials, making the electronics virtually unusable outside a World Cup venue.
Balls also must be charged before a match using a cord-free system similar to charging a smartwatch.
Because it's such a process, it seems unlikely a game ball will ever become a keepsake for a fan, but never say never — one day it could happen.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here
