clhs sciblog

What difference does a ball make in a game? Well, when it’s the soccer ball that Adidas released for the World Cup, it means everything. The new “Jabulani” ball that was created specifically for the World Cup is said to have abnormal flight patterns. The goalie from Spain went so far as to criticize Adidas new ball by saying, “It’s a little sad that the World Cup has a ball of such poor quality.” A research lab in Japan was the first to test this new ball in a wind tunnel and said it does in fact take “awkward” flight patterns.

If this new ball is in fact used, as it is being planned on, it may create controversy about the outcome of some of the matches. Many of the goal keepers may complain that the flight patterns of the ball made it impossible to stop the shot from scoring, whereas the older balls may have been more predictable. We certainly don’t want any discord arising during the World Cup, which is one of the most prestigious sports tournaments in the world. If this new ball design is the deciding factor in an important match, we certainly don’t want any nations becoming angry because of something as small as the design of a soccer ball.

Read the full article here.

Q4-EC