This Makes It a New Ballgame

Most people think of the Arena Football League as pro football with a twist.

Now, the league has a stylized ball to match -- a cream-colored Spalding ball with a blue swirl down the side and blue crosshairs at the tips. Touted as easier for players and fans to see against the dark backgrounds of indoor arenas, the ball is the same size and weight as the NFL’s Wilson ball.

Tony Graziani, quarterback of the Los Angeles Avengers, says he likes the AFL balls’ feel. He has an easier time getting a grip on them straight out of the box, which is important, considering that teams in an arena game can easily go through 20 or more balls a game. (Fans are allowed to keep the balls that sail into the stands.)

“The other ball we used to use, they put so much wax on it,” he said. “This ball doesn’t get so slippery. That was the first thing I worried about. Now, if we break out a new ball, we’re not going to miss a beat.”

Not everyone is so excited about the new balls, which soon will go on sale to the public at $75 each.

“It’s very gimmicky,” said Arizona Rattler Coach Danny White, the former Dallas Cowboy quarterback. “I wouldn’t mind playing with the brown ball. I just think [the new ball] cheapens the league.”

As far as Graziani is concerned, the new ball has already passed the test with the most brutally honest of AFL fans.

“Hey,” he said, “my 4-year-old loves it.”

-- Sam Farmer