Wilson, the manufacturer of the footballs used in the NFL thinks Bellicheats theory is complete bullshit: "Of course, the majority of Patriots fans bought it. Time will tell if the NFL bought it. But Bill Nye the Science Guy didn’t. And neither did Jenkins. “Not going to say,” Jenkins said when asked what he thought about Belichick’s explanation before immediately relenting with a laugh. “That’s BS. That’s BS, man.” So, how would it happen? Jenkins, who freely admitted he’s a Browns fan from Cleveland, where Belichick isn’t all that highly-regarded to this day, shook his head. “Only the New England Patriots know.” Jenkins suggested “maybe in a year or two” the PSI would fluctuate after being introduced to different environments, which seems to fly in the face of the dozens upon dozens of amateur science experiments that took place throughout New England last week. He did, however, relent that the ball’s pressure may change if you put it in a freezer, then unfreeze it. So, it indeed appears as if though Wilson is also calling foul on the New England Patriots. "Well it couldn't unless something happened to a bladder, but that really doesn't happen and there's no other real way,” Wilson’s director of experiential marketing Molly Wallace said. “All we know is what we can control is when it leaves the factory it's within an NFL spec, within the PSI of 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds of pressure for every single NFL team.” Stitched, sealed, and delivered. Wilson doesn’t seem to be putting any stock into atmospheric factors playing a role in the NFL’s latest “scandal.”" http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/01/26/deflategate-bill-belichick-patriots-explanation-wilson-bs
Pats response: of course Wilson wouldn't admit their balls are defective. The conspiracy runs deep now.
The pressure of a gas inside a fixed volume container decreases as temperature decreases. I don't care how many experts weigh in on either side of the debate. Anyone who has taken high school chemistry or physics should know this is true. And anyone who holds up an inflation needle and says "this is the only way the pressure inside a football changes" (looking at Bill Nye) is doing a disservice to science educators everywhere. Does this effect explain the low pressures found in New England's game balls? I don't know. Neither can anyone else until we actually have reliable information about the measurements and the sequence of events. All we have gotten so far is a series of leaked information from anonymous sources, which are then quickly contradicted by the next anonymous leak.
Everything that I wrote is factually correct. If I'm a moron, go ahead and use logic and reasoning to demonstrate to everyone why that is the case.
NFL Breaking News: Wilson lose three draft picks for defective balls. Patriots win Superbowl as compensation.
Part of the disagreement here is coming from the fact that people are confusing different topics. It seems to me like the Wilson representative here was asked two questions: 1. Could rubbing the ball to break it in have caused the pressure to increase 1 PSI? 2. Could air have escaped from the bladder during the course of the game, causing pressure to decrease? And he answered no to both questions. Just based on instinct, I am inclined to think he is correct. I don't think he was ever even asked whether varying temperatures would change the pressure of the ball. Anyone with any science background would know the answer is yes. I suspect that Bill Nye's comments are possibly being misunderstood for similar reasons.
The question isn't whether the volume fluctuates with temperature it's why it only seems to do so for the Patriots?
i mean i dont know about you but i consider it a miracle every time i go outside in the morning after the temperature drops that my car tires actually have any air in them at all. and then i pray pray pray to the gods that they dont pop when the temperature rises throughout the day
It makes no sense to try to answer that question without having reliable answers to questions like: What pressure were the patriots balls set to before the game? What pressure were the Colts balls set to before the game? What pressures were those balls at when they were measured? Were the Colts balls even measured? At what times and under what conditions did all of these measurements take place? I'll admit I haven't followed every detail of this story, but the information that I have heard has all sounded contradictory and unreliable. First I heard that 11 of 12 balls were more than 2 psi under, then I heard that it might actually be 1.5 psi under, now this morning I heard it might be just one ball 2 psi under and 10 balls less than 1 psi under... !?!? It will be easy enough to sort through the facts once we actually know what they are. Until then, I'm not going to try to draw any conclusions.
they CAN lose air in the cold they dont all just deflate and inflate as the temperature changes. there are a lot of factors that go into whether or not the pressure inside a fixed container will change. there is however, no way to remove gas from the bladder just by pressure and temperature fluctuations. when your tires are losing a lot of air pressure from the temperature, it is usually because there is a leak in your valve. the less dense air can escape easier resulting in a loss of air. if everything is sealed good and tight, the gas can lose density but it will not lose mass. in the case of a small football, it would take a lot more than just temperature changing...
