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ADA, Ohio (WCMH) — This Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz. You would think the NFL would choose the most high-tech factory in America to produce the game balls. You’d be wrong.
Once again, the factory making the Super Bowl footballs is in Ada, Ohio, nearly 2,000 miles away from State Farm Stadium. The Wilson Football Factory, open since 1955, produces around 2,200 footballs a day without any robots or machines assisting in the process.
Like the game the balls will be used for, it’s the human element that makes them super. “I can do about two balls a minute so about 30 seconds,” said Keaton Miller, who turns out the hide for the balls. For the big game, a total of 108 balls will be provided to both the Eagles and Chiefs. 54 for each team to use during the week of practice and 54 for each team for Sunday’s game.
When they kick it off in Phoenix Sunday night, think about the steady hands of 136 folks in Ada, Ohio. “Just joy. Knowing that it brings happiness to so many people with that ball. It’s just cool,” said Adam Badertscher, who laces each ball.
