In the days when football players wore leather helmets -or did not bother wearing any head protection- equipment managers apparently demanded that sporting goods manufacturers produce the all-important football carrier.
I know the old leather rugby shaped balls, pre-1934, were very susceptible to becoming waterlogged, which is a big reason rugby now uses synthetic material. So maybe to keep the ball dry during a game?
That's a reasonable idea. Until 1917, the rules allowed only one ball to be used per game. The new rule allowed a second ball to be substituted in the second half during wet games. However, the bags were made of khaki or duck, both water-absorbent cotton fabrics, so they would have helped in lighter rain, but why not just toss the ball in a larger bag. Why did they need a specific, football-shaped bag? I'll poke around some more to see if I can find the answer.
I know the old leather rugby shaped balls, pre-1934, were very susceptible to becoming waterlogged, which is a big reason rugby now uses synthetic material. So maybe to keep the ball dry during a game?
That's a reasonable idea. Until 1917, the rules allowed only one ball to be used per game. The new rule allowed a second ball to be substituted in the second half during wet games. However, the bags were made of khaki or duck, both water-absorbent cotton fabrics, so they would have helped in lighter rain, but why not just toss the ball in a larger bag. Why did they need a specific, football-shaped bag? I'll poke around some more to see if I can find the answer.