How a FOOTBALL is Broken In By “MUDDING” | Sports Dissected

This episode of our "Sports Dissected" series takes us into the University of Houston’s football equipment room to learn how they prepare footballs for NFL Pro Day. Evan Tucker, the assistant director of equipment operations, walks us through a process called “mudding.” As the name implies, one of the steps in this process involves the actual application of mud to the exterior of the football. Yes, this sounds crazy, but it actually works. Give it a try for yourself after watching this video.
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[@SportsDissected]

Now that we've got a football ready, check out how we get a helmet prepped for Game Day with UNLV -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKbIh4yoqqqpgtU

[@patrickkelly5066]

Like the box ball though w/ a gripp coat,,,

[@CowSaysMooMoo]

I know that Wilson sells a few grades of 80$+ footballs. My question is, Why don't THEY perform this mudding at the factory and tack on an adder fee? yeah, I understand everyone is a LITTLE finicky, but they could do a 'prelim mudding' and prob make 20$ extra a ball.....

[@stanleyfrederick5508]

No the Wilson Factory would Not do that to any of there Football Because , Wilson football where maid to be played out in the Rain & Mud. Example just look at any football Games Back So Lucky to buy a NFL football 80$ @@CowSaysMooMoo

[@AB-xk9tg]

That throw tho lmaoo. great video bro love the content

[@SportsDissected]

😅😅 We hoopers over here dawg

[@WHYWOULDILACK]

@@SportsDissected can u buy me Ps5💀💀

[@harrischoudhary]

@@WHYWOULDILACK 😹

[@mith2946]

@@SportsDissected Wounded Duck

[@tigerjr38]

yeah that pained me to witness

[@nutsbutdum]

The celebrating wide-receiver who always throw the ball to the fans is this guy's worst enemy :)

[@henrycavillsrealmustache3553]

Nah interceptions cuz his ball is in some dbs house flexing he got his first pick 😂

[@tommyharper126]

Cam Newton*

[@ekzpo3876]

@@henrycavillsrealmustache3553 I didn't realize players kept interception balls. I thought they always had to give 'em back unless it was their own team's ball (like if a qb threw their first TD or something like that)

[@jasoncummins1725]

@@ekzpo3876 I think players can keep any ball that was in use while breaking a league record. I think, I could be wrong idk I've always only seen quartbacks keep balls they broke passing records with

[@henrycavillsrealmustache3553]

@@jasoncummins1725 every player can keep the ball. Hence why any player can hand it to a fan. They dont make them give it back. The chargers have a video about how they prep the balls and their EM legit says he hates interceptions because the dbs keep them 😂

[@makrodgers470]

1-Brush 2-Shaving cream (remove w/ brush) 3-Leather conditioner (sit 40 minutes, avoid laces) 4-Heat gun 5-Mud (sit 18 hours, remove w/ damp rag & brush) 6-Brush (30 minutes)

[@ronaldontiveros08]

This is the comment i was looking fot

[@Jerry_Freestyle]

Shaving cream, huh? How does that work??

[@Jerry_Freestyle]

Never mind :)

[@jim2245]

@@Jerry_Freestyle Can use either Barbasol shaving cream or get the Wilson prep kit. This way seems to be preferred for equipment Managers. There's another video from Chargers football prep, that uses a similar technique, but he uses Fiebing Prime Neatsfoot Oil Compound & soaks it in a rag to let it soak into leather. Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud (let sit overnight). They both use rotating brush machine to break leather in. You can see the significant difference from LA Chargers ball prep, leather is considerably darker.

[@Jerry_Freestyle]

@@jim2245 cool beans :) Go Texans

[@juliun8436]

As a kid I always wonder why the game bald looked different from the store balls even tho they were the same. This is why

[@christianlloyd9070]

the store balls are cheap $15 balls. these balls cost $100

[@josephcapone2154]

@Christian lloyd $15!!! Ur a clown. Try 40 for an average one

[@christianlloyd9070]

@@josephcapone2154 i thought he was talking about the walmart ones my bad. and how am i a clown when people dont specify? i played qb in high school man ik what im talking about. But yeah a good wilson gst is about 80 and a duke is like 99

[@collinhughes6897]

@@josephcapone2154 yeah he’s wrong you don’t need to get so mad

[@Beardshire]

Store balls aren't real leather though, so they won't take the conditioning. You'll have to get a duke official ball strait from rawlings and then do this.

[@YinzBurghr]

i worked for the steelers and we had to scrub the new balls when they came in by hand with a brush for hours. Our hands would be stained orange for weeks

[@kirubelpaulos5791]

w

[@henrycavillsrealmustache3553]

Yea the machine seems to be a more recent thing lmao. And the steelers definitely give off the vibe of “we do it the way the weve always done it” type of organization

[@YinzBurghr]

@@henrycavillsrealmustache3553 yup exactly. and they had the machine it wasnt a new thing just wanted to make kids do more work than necessary. Using one of those brushes and scrubbing 20 balls literally kills your hands.

[@runrabbit8285]

Replacing big ben

[@WesleyParksTTV]

Yah should’ve wore gloves 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@joshuatalley7834]

I remember learning about this while watching a Bengals pre-season game. And the ball mudder (I think that's a good name for this job lol) said that their might be 32 different ways to do it based on each starting QBs preference. Cool stuff.

[@stanleyfrederick5508]

Some one should ask the Question why you need to go to collage to do that; I think there no need

[@Sam89365]

I think it's cool that in a hightech world we still look to mud to make something better lol

[@ethancrazyhorseharris6205]

well said 😂

[@SportsDissected]

Sometimes, the old stuff is the good stuff

[@itslife1399]

Even with baseball, mud is good for the ball, not a lot lol, but some to get the slick off of it

[@Taydrum]

its high tech mud

[@redditor7548]

World is not as high tech as you think, most of our tech that is used is 100+ years old

[@ripdiptatterchip3851]

seems like a job someone made up so they weren’t jobless lol an was like “nah dude you need me, i mud the balls”

[@SportsDissected]

😂😂😂

[@samlouwagie3899]

True, like Daniel Dancer being the informer of deer

[@ZLwh1ne]

White collar workers do that shit all the time. Making up new "better" procedures and "safer" ways to perform a blue collar job

[@didxogns1]

@@ZLwh1ne usually those regulations are implemented cause some blue collar messed up and injured himself or others.

[@KosherPorky]

@dan allen it's to give an edge, no matter how small it might be

[@davidgreeniecaps]

I have never felt more in touch with a sports content creator before. I constantly have these questions about sports and Sports Dissected is here with the in-depth answers. Awesome stuff COISKI!

[@SportsDissected]

Thanks for the support! You a real one! 👊

[@thereallos008]

Ayo my boy broke in a whole new football to throw a duck like that 😂😂

[@themaster61]

LMAO

[@thomasnewman287]

Hahahahhahahahahahahaha

[@YMSdxnte]

I call ducks potatoes

[@dannyhuffman3587]

Didn’t even use the laces either 😩

[@thereallos008]

@@dannyhuffman3587 😂 This shit is mind blowing

[@markharty5776]

Y'all should take a tour of their basketball practice facility

[@alexfromproduce1521]

Totally didn’t know this and I’m glad I do now always wondered why balls looked so different

[@francisco9969309]

10:40 this man straight tooted and tried to cover it up with his yells lol I’m dead 🤣😂🤣😂

[@garythesnail7631]

No way I thought they were just originally dark brown. A lot of effort man. Good stuff

[@rubystubys1511]

Not even when I got mine it was pink 💀

[@avianv]

“It all about the girth, guys like the wider balls...” he tried to make it sound better and made it sound worse 😂

[@arstolotle]

This explains why at practice the brown balls were always better to throw with on the sideline

[@davidh9823]

Good stuff. Always interesting to see the processes and events that go into preparing sports teams.

[@SportsDissected]

More to come!

[@gahloot]

Back when I was a Qb in the 80's we weren't allowed to mud up balls in college. Let alone in the pros. Not even the kickers, or punters balls. This is why Romo fumbled the hold in the playoffs. New ball, no gloves, super slick! The NFL up until 10 years ago made you use new game balls. In the Super Bowl your screwed. Because they bring out new balls almost every down, so the balls can be taken out of the game, signed, and given to VIPs. By the second hslf all balls are usually broken in better. And you will see better passing, and catching happening. If you didn't have a gigantic hand as a Qb. You dreaded the new balls in a game. Consider also, that your center is usually sweating all over it as well. So now you have a wet, slick, new ball.

[@gnaagren]

This has zero impact on my life. Like literally, I've never even held a proper American football in my life, being from Europe... but it's nice to see people nerd out about a thing they're passionate about.

[@SportsDissected]

Like what you like

[@sonofaquack6987]

It is nice people nerding out.

[@name5798]

wow i so care, your comment has so much impact on the lives of others bro

[@HoodHeatTV]

2:11 close your eyes and listen 😂😂

[@rylanddavis396]

Bruhhhhhhhh🤣🤣🤣

[@aceofwizardsnephelite829]

Made my day 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@davidkel441]

You lame asf😂😂 that was not funny

[@just.johnn114]

I’m deas

[@just.johnn114]

Dead

[@angeloplakakis]

Very interesting video. When will their be a tour of the USC Football Facility? Love the hard work. Keep going

[@ashyIarry]

Imagine putting all that work into a ball then Gronk spikes the air out of it

[@Inshorethingfishing]

Nice spiral

[@79guitarherofreak]

I can tell Evan was nervous, he did a really good job

[@tombosley3048]

great video man! if i had to suggest anything for future videos, sometimes the music was a little loud during parts of this. But overall, great content. Keep it up!

[@ScootsMcPoot]

Wasnt for me. I'm using ear buds. Music wasnt loud at all.

[@johnmichaelMTBC]

Awesome video man! Refreshingly original content 👍🏼

[@SportsDissected]

Appreciate it!

[@RickRijuanaPro]

Who knew. I always thought the super brown balls were just old as hell. Had no idea their was a *ucking technique behind it😂 I'm about to do this to my basketball 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@rubystubys1511]

How’d it go?

[@cyrus4821]

i'm pretty sure it has to be real leather to do this lol

[@bulldawg71199]

@@rubystubys1511 give him a minute he’s at the store buying a new ball 🤣

[@ninjadamus]

Would love to If equipment managers do something like this for thr NBA game ball

[@SportsDissected]

🤔

[@Gelato_21]

Yea i saw an NBA video on what goes into making NBA balls and they said there's no Mississippi mud or anything. You just have to use the Basketball which takes a while. Took me months to break in my NBA ball to a dark color. But at least you develop some history and connection with the Basketball while breaking it in. Edit: Sucks there's no shortcut to breaking in Basketballs like Footballs.

[@stanleyfrederick5508]

NBA are using Composite balls

[@manlymanyo2511]

Dude. This was an awesome video! Thank you!

[@TR1_93]

🤣🤣🤣 that spiral at the end tho cuh. Great vid for a weird knowledge guy like me

[@rira12621]

Something I don't understand is why companies aren't selling "game ready" balls right away? I mean they'd want the best play experience always or not?

[@pat22nasty]

Cause the companies wouldn’t get any more orders lol

[@rira12621]

@@pat22nasty but wouldn’t people be able to buy more if they could save on staff prepping balls, when they get game-ready balls?

[@brycehoward4139]

@@rira12621 each program and organization wants their balls a specific way

[@rira12621]

@@brycehoward4139 interesting. Is that not regulated?

[@SnowTiger45]

I didn't think I'd find this interesting but I had no idea footballs had to go through so much care and attention to detail to break them in. I thought the color was a product of age. Pretty Cool.

[@TonyVSTheWorld]

😂😂😂Leland you threw a duck cuz! What happened? 😂😂😂

[@oliverlim7977]

I love how serious equipment guys take their jobs 🤣🤣

[@LanDope]

I just got the mud in the mail and waiting for my football to come in. Can't wait to finally try this! Ruined a few footballs trying the old methods. But $36 after shipping and taxes for small container of mud has me 😭😭😭 lol

[@NateDizz09]

What mud did you buy?

[@LanDope]

@@NateDizz09 Lena Blackburne mud. Same as the one in this video

[@johnathan699]

Did it work?

[@NateDizz09]

@@johnathan699 Stuff worked like a champ, worth the bucks.

[@LanDope]

@@johnathan699 Honestly i'm not really sure if it's worth it unless money isn't a issue at all. Most of the darkening I found comes from the type leather conditioner you use

[@overalljustice]

10:40 no one gonna talk about that FART?? lmaooo

[@tobybe9744]

Lmfao!! Exactly what I was thinking. Was cool watching the whole show. But heard a little rip after the snap lol

[@DOMTURISMO]

10:43 HE FARTED BE FOR THE SNAP LOL!

[@malonerecparkwiffleleague7797]

No one else notices the kid's hat? The "shocker"? LMAO

[@dgoody2274]

LMFAOO I WAS LIKE WHAT ...OHHHH

[@tylerwilson4855]

The finished product made me start drooling

[@NextGen48]

Football and mud is brings back a lot of euro players memories to a time when we played on fields because soccer teams wouldn’t let us on their fields. 😊

[@NightBlade117]

Fun Fact about the mud they're using. It is sourced from a piece of property owned by a small family that never let's ANYBODY source mud from their property, effectively monopolizing their mud to be the only mud bought for use in professional sports like baseball mainly but also sometimes in football. There's a documentary about them somewhere on KZbin.

[@novideostoday]

@NightBlade117 Funnier fact is that I remember the mud being sourced from a public property.

[@RealAadilFarooqui]

I love this Channel Man, I am glad I found it

[@SportsDissected]

Welcome aboard!

[@MikeOnTheInterwebs]

We call that throw a "wounded duck" 😂 great video though

[@greenhillscustomlawncarell1139]

What can you use if you don’t have a ball brush? Just hand brush it?

[@MichaelM63917]

If you don’t have a ball brush, you should use a brush that’s not soft, it has to be hard bristles, and you can hand brush it, it just takes a bit longer

[@darrellwiegand7926]

Please do the university of iowa wrestling program. Most nationalships ever

[@devincook3278]

First time on your channel... that was a cool video! Good idea for content👍🏼

[@Blaqk_8298]

_The way he threw that ball lets me know that his daddy wasn't in the home when he was growing up._ 🏉✨✨✨✨🤣

[@tstsplxsh8549]

not funny lmao

[@Blaqk_8298]

@@tstsplxsh8549 It's not funny but you put "LMAO." 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@utfan98]

Do you have a part number or description of the Brush that you are using on the bench grinder?

[@MJ_Vuk]

i don't like football (mainly from bad experiences with players) BUT I watched this whole vid. pretty interesting stuff :)

[@SportsDissected]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@justmedee]

I understand the basic premise of mudding footballs/baseballs but I don't understand why they're mass produced in a 'non game ready state'. If you have to go through a 9 step routine just to get the ball to the point of where they will actually use it in the NFL, why isn't it released closer to that final product? You can easily changing the density, tactile, texture of any surface with very minor adjustment settings in the production line. I was hoping someone could give me a genuine answer as to why the release a ball that's not even game ready?

[@therealkylekelly]

because most people buying the ball use it casually and can't tell the difference nor do they really care.

[@justmedee]

@@therealkylekelly yes I understand that but the premise of buying an official game ball is to use the exact ball used in every NFL game. Not a single ball is used that isn't pre-mudded. Give the consumer the same experience the pros have, that's why you pay a super premium. Again, as I said, the ball doesnt need to be literally mudded they could just put a finish on the ball that accurately imitates it.

[@144wychwood]

In early 1980s I bought several official NFL balls but always wondered why they looked different from ones I saw on TV. I used to spend a lot of time trying to get them to look same but never could get it right. 40 plus years later now I know.

[@DanLeeAdventures]

Back in the 80s teams would take new unaltered balls use them in practice to break them in for game use they didn't do all this stuff back then what you were seeing on tv is a ball that has been broke in naturally with use

[@DanLeeAdventures]

This process of breaking in footballs began with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady around 2001

[@rocker7251]

Really cool stuff. Loved it

[@johanrodriguez9281]

10:43 my guy farted on the snap 😂😂😂

[@bigt4583]

anyone know the type brush / bristles on the power brush he uses?

[@liloatmeal5836]

i won’t excuse that throw at the end

[@DanLeeAdventures]

Ha ha nope

[@Shmoebamba]

Bro In the all white never looked at our guy… and he seemed mad nervous, talked hella fast but gave some good info so I guess that’s good.

[@JH-wq7ms]

Where can I find those bristle drum wheels?? I have a bench mount buffer and just need the right wheels.

[@miltonpjr]

Leeland, have you done this process with a Replica Wilson "Duke" Ball bought at Target?

[@DanLeeAdventures]

You can't do this to a rubber replica football however if you're looking for some grip buy a bar of beeswax and rub that on your ball then give it a light brushing

[@miltonpjr]

@@DanLeeAdventures i punted that ball off the Golden Gate Bridge 🌉 after we lost the Super Bowl dude.

[@miltonpjr]

Broham, any chance you got an extra Duke you can send to. Milton Pacas Jr. 404 1st St. San Rafael Ca. 94901

[@12seahawks12]

Ball looked great. That throw tho. 😆

[@SportsDissected]

😂😭😂

[@georgiaboy9486]

For a Guy from Germany like me, who American Football isn`t the Nationalsport, it`s really Interessting! Thanks for That!

[@tenmozek]

the latest conference win in 2015.. that's a long time between drinks

[@itztrevey]

It''s crazy all the different professions you wouldn't even think of.

[@LBxType1]

Wow. Never knew they even did this. Learned something new today

[@SportsDissected]

👊

[@ronthecon9772]

I'm always curious Wilson is very straight forward in saying never use Shaving Cream/Water/Lanolin/Oils on their balls and that there is no dye and the Red color is just conditioning put on at the factory and brushing it in is all you have to do to start making it tacky and begin the break in process with conditioner/mud and tack spray. But in almost every ball conditioning video you watch people scrub the balls with water or shaving cream or both. Which Wilson says will break down the leather shorten the lifespan and cause the ball to possibly deform.

[@petersquatch]

Perfect, looking to buy an NFL game ball and wanted to know the best way to break it in. Now where to find the mud...

[@aconthebeat1]

lena blackburne company

[@DanLeeAdventures]

Really the best way is to just use it you will be surprised how quickly they break in but if you're interested you can watch the video I uploaded it's a much cheaper less time-consuming method to achieving the same goal

[@bradyfleming5700]

University of Wisconsin football please one of the most consistent teams in the country.

[@beckkjeldbjerg954]

Consitintly loosing to Ohio Stat hahah

[@karisargue2]

@@beckkjeldbjerg954 that’s what I was gone say lol

[@JXIVEN]

THE* Ohio State

[@ScootsMcPoot]

Yea the most consistent at being mediocre.

[@thepeople5589]

Rb U

[@flux_time]

Good questions and interview man

[@elbolsillo]

I think if a fan gets thrown a ball by a player, someone from the organization will attempt to retrieve it and give them something else souvenir wise. Even give them a ball that hasn’t been broken in yet. Each team is responsible for providing a certain amount of balls for each game.

[@jim2245]

Its 36 between 2 teams for the game I believe. 12 for home & visiting team and the rest are for backup.

[@elbolsillo]

@@jim2245 Gotcha. Never knew the exact number. I watched a video of how much prep work goes into just the balls. It’s crazy

[@texastruth2887]

Y'all still haven't figured that the deflate gate was helium gate. Lol the goat

[@SlapNSniff]

Is my man rockin the shocker on that hat!! Hahaha

[@JH-wq7ms]

Where can those drum style bristle wheels be found??

[@manueltheplayer-546]

Can you use regular conditioner for hair

[@albertogutierrez9124]

what are those attachments he is using and where can I they be purchased?

[@ecgodsmack86]

Great video, just needs links to products used to condition football!

[@Dillybar123]

Love the hat he is wearing

[@justincase696]

Yes!!! 😎

[@timmykkgb]

Two in the mud, one in the shaving cream

[@kevcruickshanks]

I wondered if anyone else had caught the hat. I want one, but can't find it anywhere. Custom job?

[@arnoldlaneii9861]

Shocker !!!! Haha glad I wasn't the only 1 to notice !!

[@wrecktal_seepage]

10:43 He hiked that Soo hard!

[@connorhfishing213]

My qb coach has us skip new balls across the ground and it helps

[@stephen6621]

They do this in the MLB to baseballs as well

[@tritesy]

How do the words "Football" and "Mud" have no correlation?!??!?! When I think Football I think of mud, dirt, grass stains, and everything else that goes along with football.... That opening statement actually triggered me! I used to be so muddy after playing Football - This guy must have never played on a natural field and only played on turf. It adds a whole other aspect to the game and is some of my fondest memories

[@ryansheard8092]

So what is the ball brush attached to the bench grinder? Is it horsehair?

[@robertaronowitz52]

I use the exact same stuff and my football never looks glossy like that. Any tips ?

[@wickedwildwezt]

You are a really cool interviewer

[@xeon2k425]

Thanks man

[@jamespyle777]

6:20 8 of those championships were in conferences that either do not exist anymore nor do they sponsor football.

[@naturesown1807]

I never knew about this. I would love to catch a ball after this process.

[@SportsDissected]

You can really feel the difference

[@Juhah68]

A great video. This treatment is for the brand new ball. But does this work with a ball which is used in games without any treatment? Or is it like with the old non cleaned leather, there is no chance to make it better.

[@stanleyfrederick5508]

No not one thing on Leather Because Leather the Skin and Will soak in Oils, Water, Wax ; Mud dry it

[@DanLeeAdventures]

Watch the video I uploaded it's great for conditioning new balls and restoring old ones

[@captaincoffeecake3595]

Just a friendly tip . NEVER put your hand on the end of a heat gun... Doesnt matter how sure you are its off or cool. You only need to fuck up once to wreck your hand.

[@Whoopdido777]

So do they not do this with kicking balls? I’ve always heard that kicking balls are harder and more slippery.

[@ctbt1832]

Wow I didn’t know this much work go into a football

[@timlavigne9547]

Where can I buy that mud?

[@Landont11]

Do you know where you can get this done for you

[@smurfaccount2497]

“conditioner” “cream” “balls” bruh 🤣🤣

[@kennethsimmons7263]

What the grit of the brush used on the bench polisher?

[@smithsoniansmith9045]

My guy was all the way solid til the throw 😂 good content fs

[@SportsDissected]

😅😅

[@slowpoke96Z28]

7:40, they were really careful to not show the jar the mud comes in lol.

[@skittlecar1]

Scrolled quite a bit and no one mentioned the Shocker on his hat? 3:43

[@elie1888]

Have a great day god love y’all

[@happyreeper1]

When do they deflate them?

[@iCatchzz]

Yessir university Houston 💪🏾