ESPN
needs to decide if they have a grudge against the New England Patriots or not.
First, they “expose” the insignificantly deflated footballs, and now
they have a science segment absolving them of the any wrong-doing.
The question ESPN
‘Sport Science’ asks is:
“Is playing with an under-inflated ball actually an advantage?”
Simple
answer — No and here's why:
The segment explains that how a quarterback grips the ball is really a matter of preference, and the pressure inside the ball doesn’t really play a significant part.
They also tested if the pressure affects the flight of the ball. They found that reducing the mass of the football the amount that the Patriots have been said to do only decreases the weight by the weight of a dollar bill, and that the average velocity is actually reduced. A defender could actually cover an extra inch.
ESPN said:
“The alleged deflation certainly didn’t effect [SIC] the outcome of the game. And based on our analysis, under-inflated balls had a miniscule affect [SIC] on any given play.”
They then went on to say what actually could have had an effect on the game — the weather.
“But there was one environmental issue that could’ve had a much bigger impact, at least from a physics perspective — the rain. Water clinging to the pebbled surface of the football, can add as much as half an ounce of weight.
That’s ten times more of a weight differential than the disputed inflation issue.”
“Ten times more of a weight differential than the disputed inflation issue.”
To put it frankly — the rain had more of an effect of the outcome of the AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts than any slight differential in ball pressure. Well that, and an inability to get past the New England defense.
It seems “DeflateGate” just got deflated.