Neil deGrasse Tyson Tackles the Physics of Football

What is one of the greatest displays of terrestrial physics? Neil deGrasse Tyson breaks down the physics of “The Tush Push” and it impacts the Earth’s rotation with host of Good Morning Football Kyle Brandt.
How can being physics-literate improve the game? Learn the physics of why this play works so well. Explore the relationship between the offensive line and the Earth. Can “The Tush Push” change the rotation of the Earth? Plus, Neil demonstrates some physics from his wrestling days.
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #neildegrassetyson
00:51 - Physics in Football
2:56 - Neil’s Wrestling Days
4:25 - Breaking Down The Tush Push
9:12 - Connection to the Earth
10:42 - Neil Demonstrates Some Physics
14:09 - The Tush Push, Newton’s Laws, & Earths Rotation
18:18 - Conclusions

[@StarTalk]

Chiefs or 49ers? 😏

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

As a third generation and lifetime Raiders fan, going for the American League Chiefs. (If you're not a Raiders fan, it's ok. Nobody's perfect.) ;-P

[@leroy.jackson.4804]

Chiefs all the way 👍😁🇺🇲

[@ds_the_rn]

49ers. I know somewhere this is a screen writer with a script in progress just waiting for Brock Purdy to go from last man picked to Super Bowl champion. And he’ll beat one of the best quarterbacks ever in Patrick Mahomes? For the story, I’m going 9ers. And cuz I was a 9ers fan during the Montana/Young era. #boltup 🩵 from a @chargers fan.

[@ds_the_rn]

@@michaelccopelandsr7120- enjoy Bargain Bin Tom (Telesco). I honestly can’t believe the Raiders picked the GM from a team who got annihilated by them. Mark Davis’ haircut is as dumb as that pick up 😂

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

@@ds_the_rn You're preaching to the choir. I said I was a lifetime fan. Never said I was happy with them. ;-P For starters, they need to change the name of their stadium to a "colosseum." Until they moved to Vegas, Raiders had always played in a colosseum.

[@timothygodwin7575]

Did neil just straight up pick up and hold an entire pro football player with ease?!?! Dudes strong.

[@SharpSapphire]

It was very impressive if I may say myself

[@dio52]

Technically more of a partial hip throw, lots of leverage. Good use of physics.

[@simplyprism5854]

@@dio52 the hip throw only counts when he is moving but to stop and hold the football player there for that long while casually talking looking around and laughing is impressive. He also had to stop the football players momentum to hold him there

[@shizoidi]

He was professional wrestler

[@RobertSaxy]

3:18 did you not see this picture

[@littlebighumancom]

“Why are you out of breath, I picked you up” 😂 On a serious note, hip throws are very energy efficient, so Neil could hold him there for a long time. Meanwhile the other dudes body is compressed which makes it harder to breath.

[@orionthatman9390]

I left the same first half of this comment and saw this already in the comment section 🥲🥲 curse you

[@covindacoreena4460]

11:29 Neil leaves both his hands and says "You got nothing". A 65 y.o. scientist balancing a near 220 pound man on his back with no hands

[@johngoldsworthy7135]

@@covindacoreena4460yep he’s obviously on his back. By back I mean where your right arm is.

[@orionthatman9390]

Neil easily picking up a 200 pound man was not something I ever expected to ever see in my lifetime

[@PantherPurr]

I can see it. He wasn't always just a book-turning (and writing) science geek - his background in athletics will (I feel) always be a part of him too. I imagine the combination of the two gives him a deeper understanding (and probably appreciation of) of physics. The non-athletic people of the world only have theories to draw upon from personal experience. Those who get sweaty regularly draw from the same world differently. =)

[@Maulfurion]

Newton had an apple, we’re in the man-era now.

[@Nemoticon]

Technique... the correct application of force and leverage, the wonder of physics.

[@PantherPurr]

@@Nemoticon Well put, fellow nerd! 8D

[@covindacoreena4460]

11:29 Neil leaves both his hands and says "You got nothing". A 65 y.o. scientist balancing a near 220 pound man on his back with no hands

[@user-wq2wy1ne5k]

Imagine having him as your middle school teacher.

[@Nixonforprez68]

My life probably would have turned out a lot better

[@JoshuaMerrill042]

I have never in my life been more fascinated by American football in my life than I am now.

[@_cconsol]

Same honestly

[@randombrian4232]

I don't like football either......I'm just here for the science.......and to watch Neil hold a pro player in a fireman's hold lolol

[@davidevans3227]

i'm just at the beginning, worth it is it? 🙂 joking, i'll watch..

[@netoeli]

Just imagine for a second being on a lecture with Neil and he started spitting facts and you just said Noo, and he just proceeds to picks you up and throw you to the other side of the room.

[@jameslee3719]

As a sports scientist, i love that NdGT said that this is where everyday people can relate to science. It has what i have been expounding my whole career. With the intent/hope that people take further interest into other areas of science. Sadly, I have experienced situations where some scientists look down their nose at me not being a "real scientist". I have sometimes retorted (sarcastically) that sport scientists never win Nobel Prizes, but we do help to win gold medals and world championships for our countries....

[@tyronevaldez-kruger5313]

Sports is far more loved than science. Knowing that might lift you up when colleagues in science behave weird again

[@davidevans3227]

biology and engineering are two things that spring to mind immediately.. silly people, ignore them if you can..

[@jameslee3719]

@@tyronevaldez-kruger5313 Thanks Tyron. Yes it is - and I love sport science because of it....

[@jameslee3719]

@@davidevans3227 Thanks David. Over the years, I have learnt to not worry about the vanities of others

[@ryvyr]

Not only did Neil swoop up Kyle with ease, he continued explaining physics without breathing harder nor speaking with more effort. Truly inspiring!

[@randombrian4232]

All about balance. Notice Neil's stance. He's just chillin with a sac of potatoes on He's shoulder/back. Ever seen a tweaker balance a fridge on their head then ride away on a bike?

[@Magdalena8008s]

To those in the comments. Neil used to wrestle. Not just a regular one. He was apparently super good and had potential to go far in the sport if it was his main focus.

[@orionthatman9390]

“Why are you out of breath, I’m the one who picked you up” 😂😭😂😭

[@lordlatt535]

11:42 The best line of the episode 😂. Neil is an Ox 💪🏾

[@NEO_RedPill_2024]

These are the kind of teachers that inspire. Makes it relatable and all of a sudden the world is your laboratory and you science all around you. Excellent.

[@Ill_trigger_you_lol]

I would love to see post games in NDT. Like he talks the physics of specific plays.

[@brawlwith_me]

Neil the type of grandpa everybody wants🛐

[@laperryrn]

Who are you calling a grandpa 😂😂😂

[@rudy_4ier]

damn Neil still has some of his college wrestling days strength lmao

[@eric5r]

Bro's about to calculate space-time for the perfect touchdown

[@Debatable.Science]

We're about see Neil coming out the locker room on half time with a calculator

[@EazyE11]

The math will always conclude that Marshawn still should have got the ball.

[@KarlRoyale]

The best part, the look on Kyle's face at 11:14. He never saw that coming!

[@denseven]

This reminds me how I aced my P.E. class using physics

[@laperryrn]

I’d love to hear more!

[@elliottgussow9555]

Wow! After umpteen decades he's still got it!!!

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

Neil and Chuck for 2024!

[@RealZacharyRoy]

I live in Utah, and everybody here knows Philly as the city of brotherly love. That’s like not knowing New York City is “The Big Apple”.

[@martin11844]

Hey wich is the biggest city in the us?

[@raptorjesus713]

neil said it was the city of crime hahahaha

[@AmandaRestivo]

I hope Neil warmed up for this episode. I'm worried about how his back felt after filming this one. haha.

[@SavannahLeighh]

Omg! It was RIGHT THERE at the end! "Eagles, take it..." TO THE LIMIT!

[@Flying_Blind]

I said "limit" before he ended the sentence. And then was screaming at Neil - "LIMIT - EAGLES".

[@laughingoutloud5742]

Whoa!! NDT still got mad wrestling skills! Lol I really appreciate and enjoyed learning more about the science of American football 🏈 ❤

[@NineAtoms1]

8:08 "Houston, the Eagles are orbiting." 🤣

[@gplipp6489]

This kind of analysis could actually make me watch the nfl again

[@EliteWalkThroughs]

''why you outta breath? i picked you up'' LOOOOOL

[@julianleyva1506]

Yo Neil “The Mass 💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾” Tyson you got any tats or wutttt

[@emordilap]

The "Major Tom" quip was a spit-take for me. Did *not* see that one coming.

[@stevef.8708]

Why? It was a reference to a David Bowie song.

[@Highlyskeptical]

My surgeon Dr. David Baer has fond memories of Dr. Tyson when they were both on Harvard's wrestling team, and from my own HS wrestling experience I also appreciate the 1v1 aspect of the sport, as I did with fencing in college.

[@adeliabarnwell8621]

The best thing about this, for me, is that it's kid friendly (unlike some of the Star Talk material). I can't wait to share this with my middle school football players.

[@CuriousCumuloNimbusCloud]

Omg I'm loving this format of star talk !!!

[@Brandon-kx6oq]

"I can bench 250" "Still?" "No" Bravo mr Tyson Most humble act I've seen from ya haha

[@Wildo87112]

Neil! I'd LOVE to see you cover the in-depth physics of muay thai or mma by bringing in a pro from those fields! This is an excellent format :D P.s it would also be cool to have you "prescribe" things as a physist that would show how a player (or a fighter) would gain an edge over the competition using physics.

[@domdela5217]

Love the end: "The Eagles lost shortly after this video" 🤣

[@carlfoster4477]

Scientifically it may be possible to address a weakness of the system, by redirecting the motion. One direction the ball carrier can't effectively control is up. As a result, that is the weakness. If the opposing team moves its D line to stabilize the offensive line and the DBs focus on catching the ball carrier as early as possible and lifting him, two things happen. One, the horizontal component of progress is diminished because now there is a vertical component which does not advance the ball. Two, you are now applying force in a direction for which the ball carrier cannot resist or control well. The traditional defense of opposing force with force is not used. In this case you would oppose horizontal force with potentially tall players that would extend their arms up lifting the ball carrier up to a height where his foward momentum would be stopped in the play would be ruled dead. This is a common technique employed in martial arts where you come back overwhelming force with a change in direction. It could be good for quarterbacks and asteroids.

[@dubselectorr345]

Wow the studio looks very professional and with high quality footage this now looks like Startalk again, hope this will be the new norm over the zoom call quality videos.

[@VictorPanainte]

Love the way you make people think science

[@aoifedeborha2420]

Idk if this would work, but if the “carpet” is basically revolved around ploughing on, if you just lay down and built up a sort of pyramid, thereby lifting up the carpet’s edge? Like ripping off a sticker, I guess, would that be a possible solution?

[@markj3169]

Please do skateboarding next

[@jessehernandez841]

This is the video I've been waiting for thank you

[@toddfraser3353]

My best guess would for the opposing side to apply force at 90 degrees of the the push. As all the force vectors are strongly committed towards one direction, and would be less resistance towards where the force vectors are weaker.

[@laperryrn]

This is the exact reason why I am 5 feet tall but have never in 30yrs been injured by an out-of-control patient requiring hands-on intervention! Thank you, NDT!

[@sajan84]

This was epic! Would love hear about physics in other sports soccer, cricket, tennis..

[@karlgoebeler1500]

Brother was a wrestler in High School Mine was Football

[@WildlifeWarrior-cr1kk]

I'm glad I subscribed that was a good one

[@williampierce2034]

When I was playing high school football, I told my coach I overestimate the coefficient of restution for a hit. It was more like hitting mud. another time, I used rotationalional inertia to through a log at a kickoff vedge, leveling all of then all..

[@BrentRichards-vp1cg]

Refreshing take on football

[@chrisbfd]

Wow, you never expect the smartest guy in the room to also be the strongest 😂😂.

[@hedonepicurea4327]

I want to study the solution to this as a hobby. Great to see physics being applied to football. Hopefully this creates more jobs for scientists in football and other sports. I would say using a testudo type form (shield wall) would work. Human bodies under pressure can only exert so much energy. However, I need to see greater detail (i will later) to apply physics.

[@KC-nd7nt]

Tyson could have been a pro footballer for sure

[@techbro_4309]

Have you seen his younger photos?! Dude was built like a Greek god!!

[@sheralddaniels06]

I wouldn't wrestle Neil even today. That's a HUGE Nerd

[@meatdog]

Seriously Neil... I'm a native Californian and I KNOW Philly is known as the "city of brotherly love!!" Too bad it doesn't live up to that anymore with all the crime there now. The physics of football is what makes it worth watching. A fellow astrophysicist here.

[@TheGiggleMasterP]

I love that the football player was out of breath after being picked up at the sheer excitement of realizing a scientist can deadlift him.

[@NicolasTylerDoyle]

Tyson still got it 🏋️‍♀️

[@paulwells782]

The brotherly shove !! From MI

[@joseimpact]

great episode !!!!!!

[@tedelsasser5171]

I coached kickers and punters with a BIG emphasis on mastering or at least appreciating the physics...force, mass, velocity, vector forces, acceleration....and that was just for the kicking foot! Did that spiral punt NOT turn over because of too much spin off the foot? ...spin stabilization. Then I add in the physiology and fast twitch muscle mechanics...technically the only force source that can be changed is the acceleration of the foot at the end of a complex lever chain

[@Formula7Driver]

I would like to learn more about our collision with the Andromeda galaxy. I have trouble figuring out how is it possible for two galaxies to collide. Let's say that at the moment of the Big Bang, everything was compact, and after that, everything started moving apart, away from each other. As I understand, there was a point in time when the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies were farther away than they are now... So their mutual gravity wasn't strong enough to prevent them from reaching that furthest point. I have no clue what happened at that point? Why is their mutual gravity now strong enough to bring them together, if their mass is constant? If someone could do some calculations, draw a graph where one axis would be time, and second would be their mutual distance, it would help me understand.

[@JohnRobinson2]

Unless I missed it, I'd like to see an explainer on the physics of roller coasters or just all amusement park rides etc

[@lyrand6408]

He could also include the cheerleaders in his list of 'physics things' found in football.

[@cspahn3221]

cheerleading isn't football. it's an event covered during football. by your logic he should also cover the drumline and the band.

[@lbthingsstuffmore9513]

Awesome episode!🤓 Scienceeeeee!👌💕

[@mgriff39]

My question is...since the field the Eagles play their home games is mostly a North South configuration, does the Brotherly Shove effect earth's tilt?

[@BenjySparky]

Neil, you rock! Love your explanation of things. You make it where everyone can understand. You can still wrestle. Peace

[@LLcoolNice]

My man was holding my dude from angry runs in the air like a baby... gotta love Neil DeGrasse 😂

[@lisagaines5860]

Awesome episode! 😂❤

[@RIFADOR001]

Physics Terry, Physics

[@Austinajiake]

As an NFL player, physics definitely plays a huge role in the sport. Everyone playing knows the low man wins. Most of the time the physics is understood on a very elementary level, but the players who understand these concepts in depth will find more success.

[@adhi.kusumo]

11:05 🤣🤣🤣🔥🔥🔥

[@venkatkarthikps8585]

It would be excellent if we get an explainer on time crystals!!!

[@yochhcoy]

WOW! Bravo Neil deGrasse Tyson! You still got it!

[@SharpSapphire]

Looks like Neil still got it 💪

[@annegichohi7210]

Clearly the clever team that signs Neil unto their technical bench, won't be loosing anytime soon. Plus does he have his ticket to the Superbowl game yet? He makes physics so real and easy to understand. As an educator, I am just in awe.

[@user-qo4hc6jf1l]

As a group they r squeeze and contract to move foward with strength player’s body mass is horizontal gives more easy to work leg muscles

[@user-hu3ui4ig4t]

Hey neil, Did you watch the movie "Predestination" and what can you say about it?

[@jofrazier-hansen4097]

Use that connecton to the earth and apply speed to end runaround the front line and connect with the QB.

[@user-cv1vk9hb5d]

Offensive players pushing the ball carrier used to be a penalty. They just need to go back to that.

[@sheilahardin6868]

Great video

[@kakodae6298]

Yo man, guys… this episode was beautiful, simply, beautiful!🤩

[@kevincronk7981]

The last few seconds of this video were priceless

[@ChessIsBestWithACupOfScience]

Neil 💪"The Real Deal"🔭 Tyson.

[@paramountx]

I LOOO9OOOOOOOVED THIS EPISODE

[@imdiyu]

It seems like the cameraman was not attached to the earth.

[@Ezmartin08]

Having someone like him in school growing up would've been amazing

[@highriskent]

Favorite Episode..🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@gn2727]

Wow, Neil is a strong guy lol !

[@shannonmcdonald7584]

"Slow down, stop it and reverse it..." He almost quoted missy elliot

[@johnnewton8039]

Nice but, I wish they would've spent at least a bit of time explaining how a perfect spiral pass can be so stable, so effectively targeted.

[@agyas23]

What?! My two favourite things together? Science with Neil deGrasse Tyson and the Philadelphia Eagles? oh my... i loved it!

[@hackedbyBLAGH]

Great picture Neil!

[@HunterLynch333]

I looooooove this. I want more of u two together

[@johnjones8580]

You talk about changing the rotation of the Earth changing when they do this, but on a north-south field, wouldn't it change the axial tilt?

[@jpg0927]

That occurred to me also. I think it would add some wobble to the rotation, since the force is transient.

[@rodcuffe]

I thought cool thumbnail… must be fake … so glad it was totaly not fake 😂 you made my day. So how is this anything to do with astrophysics. But of course Neil explains why it is.

[@SpenceReam]

Even just the thumbnail alone is worth the like on this video. 😂

[@bhanupartapsingh3166]

Hi, sir, I have a silly question. Why object's force increase as it accelerates. Mass is just a number and acceleration. when we multiply we get the product of numbers. I want to know on the atom level what happens? sorry for my silly question. I am not a physics guy.

[@alanw737]

Neil, love the take down there, you should have followed thru

[@kendebusk2540]

I'm about 1.5 mm from the "I don't know anything" on the subject of football and didn't know about these moves, but being enough of a fan of physics, I understood it completely when explained from that angle. I also learned not to anger Neil because he would pick me up and break me in half ;)

[@RIFADOR001]

This was the perfect moment to have Terry from b99 here...

[@akrita81]

Whats next..? Philly Cheesesteak ? Go Birds.