Those of you who have been around for a while will recall that I published daily Tidbits or articles for the first 660 days on this account, but I cut back in February, claiming I needed more time to work on longer-term projects. Since then, I have published something every other day on average, including the links to the weekly Pigskin Dispatch podcast/YouTube.
I am happy to tell you that I have used the extra time constructively and am nearing completion of the first in what I hope will be a series of short books drilling into the history of specific elements of football. I have some minor content issues to address, and I am working on the cover design and Bibliography and gaining permission to use certain images in the book. I hope to release paperback and ebook versions on Amazon within a few weeks.
In the meantime, I will start releasing a serialized preview of the book on Football Archaeology tonight. Since Substack limits the amount of text or images that can be sent in an email, the book will be broken into bite-sized chunks. I will serialize the full book, or about 130 pages, with each daily post equivalent to 5 to 7 book pages.
As usual, you will receive an email with each posting. Free subscribers will have access to the first few paragraphs, while Paid Subscribers can access the full post and access it any time under the Paid Subscribers tab. Of course, everything published in serial form is considered part of a draft version of the book until it is published on Amazon.
Hopefully, Paid Subscribers will enjoy the serialized version and tell their friends and neighbors to subscribe or buy the book. Free subscribers know what to do.
Now, about the book…
A History of the Football is the first book to examine the history of the game’s ball; the evolutionary path it took from its rugby ball origins to today’s distinctive prolate spheroid. Few fans understand how the ball evolved or why and when changes to the ball occurred, often believing certain myths about the ball’s history. Richly illustrated, the book examines how and why the football changed shape, size, colors, stripes, and inflation levels, all while informing our understanding of the game’s history.
Posts in this series:
Chapter 1, Shape and Size: Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3 | Pt. 4 I Pt. 5
Chapter 2, Bladders, Lacing, and Valves: Pt. 1 | Pt. 2
Chapter 3, Colors and Stripes: Pt. 1 | Pt. 2
Chapter 4, Materials and Manufacturing: Pt. 1 | Pt. 2 | Pt. 3
Chapter 5, Game and Practice Balls
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An old football official buddy, I don't remember who, told me a story that one day on Princeton's campus a kicked football came to rest near Dr. Albert Einstein. He picked it up an said, "Oh, a prolate spheroid." and gave back to the kicker.