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The Teamgeist

Comment comment by Brandon on 10 June 2006

Another interesting innovation in this World Cup is the ball. Adidas, who has supplied the World Cup balls since 1970, introduced the "Teamgeist" this time, which includes some accuracy and precision improvements. The commentary during the Cup games so far has mentioned the ball a number of times and there appears to be some controversy over its use; defending champions Brazil and England's goalkeeper have expressed concern.

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RE: The Teamgeist by Anonymous :: NR0

Interesting that both Brazil and England commented that the ball is "much lighter" than previous balls, when in fact (as noted in the wiki article you posted) the ball is at the top of the weight standard FIFA allows. It couldn't be much lighter. I wonder if it's a matter of the ball's superior performance that makes it seem lighter.

Posted 10 June 2006, Hide, Parent, Reply
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RE: The Teamgeist by tomtolman :: NR5

The commentary during the Cup games so far has mentioned the ball a number of times and there appears to be some controversy over its use; defending champions Brazil and England's goalkeeper have expressed concern.

LiveScience.com offers an explanation for the controversial ball:

The new Adidas Teamgeist football, as it is called, has 14 panels instead of the 26 or 32 that traditionally create the hexagonal pattern.

Fewer panels means fewer seams, which will make the ball behave more like a baseball, says Ken Bray, a sports scientist at the University of Bath in the UK.

Complex whirls of air cause a spinning ball to drift toward the side that's spinning away from the ball's direction of movement [learn why]. A ball that's not spinning can bounce around unpredictably. Pitchers rely on this physics when throwing knuckleballs.

Posted 12 June 2006, Hide, Parent, Reply