Cows Caused Great Suffering for Footballs

Let’s Kick Leather Out of the Game

Brace yourself. This is really important to read because this is how it is: As PETA’s investigators entered the kill floor of a slaughterhouse, they were struck by the deafening cacophony of the power saws used to cut apart the bodies of cows and the mechanical hoists moving them around the room. The stench of blood turned their stomachs, and their hearts ached as they made eye contact with the wide-eyed cows who had been forced, one by one, into the stun box, where they watched their herd mates being hung up by one leg, bled out, beheaded, sawed apart, and skinned. One cow kept trying to dodge the captive-bolt gun and pawed at the slanted floor, desperately seeking a way out. But for these cows, there would be no escape.

These are just some of the horrors that PETA’s undercover investigators documented inside Rodabaugh Bros Meats, an Ohio slaughterhouse that supplies skins for Wilson’s official National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) leather balls. There, they saw cows packed tightly in an indoor holding pen for hours while pigs were slaughtered ahead of them. The cows could hear and smell everything that was happening. Workers then forced the already terrified animals from the holding pen to the kill floor using an electric prod, and because they didn’t bother to close any doors separating the two areas, the cows could see what awaited them.

70,000+ Cows Killed to Produce Wilson Footballs Every Year

One co-owner showed PETA’s investigators the leg of a cow whose arthritis was so severe that the joint was completely fused. He said that they normally separate that joint with a knife, but this one required a power saw to cut through. Imagine how much pain that poor cow had experienced from the injury.

The Rodabaugh Brothers “proudly” displayed a football made from the skin of one of the cows they had killed for the NFL supplier’s tannery.

Superior Synthetics – for Animals and Athletes

Jaylen’s right: Leather made from cows’ skin isn’t biodegradable and contributes far more to water pollution and the release of greenhouse gases like methane than any synthetic or plant-based vegan leather. Other professional sports, including the highest levels of soccer and rugby, prefer synthetic balls for their consistent performance, especially in adverse weather conditions. The international governing body for soccer, FIFA, switched to 100% synthetic balls as far back as 1986.

The Women’s National Basketball Association also uses leather-free balls, and male players are urging the NBA to follow suit.

“As a lifelong football fanatic, I wholeheartedly support PETA’s call for the CFL to transition to synthetic balls. … This is an easy decision to make.”—Letter to the editor from a Canadian football fan printed in the Toronto Star

Wilson: Time to Make the Switch!

Wilson already manufactures a variety of synthetic footballs for different levels of play and so already has the technology to develop a prime-quality synthetic or plant leather football that meets or exceeds the standards of the cowskin ball. Both NFL and CFL footballs already have many synthetic features, including synthetic bladders, laces, stitching, and pebbled texture for grip, so there’s only a need to replace the ball’s leather casing. Let’s make this happen!