With only four stoplights and a population just under 6,000 people, the Village of Ada, Ohio seems much like any other small American town. Though it’s home to Ohio Northern University, a small, private college with only 3,000 students, there’s nothing there that tells the world it is a huge part of the NFL.
Ada is home to the Wilson football factory, where all footballs used by the NFL are made. Since 1941, Wilson Sporting Goods has supplied every ball for every point, every fumble, and every touchdown that has been made in the U.S. on the professional field.
Most of Wilson’s employees have spent their lives making the footballs you see every week during the season. Each ball is carefully made by hand in a streamlined, assembly process. No football leaves the factory until every employee has touched it in some way.
The Superbowl is a big event for the factory. They open the doors late at night after the last playoff game is over to burn the names of the teams competing in the Superbowl on the special game balls.
Watch how the factory prepares the special Superbowl footballs:
The next time you’re watching a game and the ball is thrown high and hard across the field, take a moment and think about Ada, Ohio, and the proud workers that each had a hand in that play.
How interesting! Most of us never think about the source of the footballs.