This game is played like regular American Football but the ball is a glass sphere filled with water. The object is to get the ball, gently, to the endzone without breaking it.
-- JesusHChrist, Oct 03 2016

// regular American Football but the ball is a glass sphere //

Regular American footballs aren't spherical. They are ellipsoidal.

A frangible ball could be quite entertaining, though. [+]
-- 8th of 7, Oct 03 2016


Might encourage the players to man up and wear less scaffolding.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 03 2016


Like the breakable football idea, not sure about glass. For my taste I don't need to see blood from cut hands to be entertained. Clever though. [+]

I'd add that you put some chemical in it that would emit a big puff of smoke when exposed to air so the crowd could see that the ball was broken from far away.

I think you'd have to allow the offense to down the ball by taking a knee or something before they get tackled because I doubt there's any way you can prevent somebody from breaking a breakable ball you're carrying. You'd be replacing the ball every 2 plays or so otherwise.
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 03 2016


// chemical in it that would emit a big puff of smoke when exposed to air //

Phosphine spontaneously ignites on contact with air ...

White phosphorus produces a very satisfactory smoke cloud.

Actually, there are a whole range of interesting compounds that could be used. Some of them even exhibit quite low toxicity.

A brittle casing could be packed with talcum powder, with a very thin rubber envelope at the centre. After assembly, the envelope would be pressurized, but the surrounding powder would stop it rupturing. Once the outer casing failed, this containment would be removed, and the envelope would burst, throwing out the powder.

If cornstarch were used, even a tiny static spark could cause a quite satisfactory explosion.

Other designs derived from the Livens projector round, or from the Japanese "Ha" bomb, might be worth investigation.
-- 8th of 7, Oct 03 2016


This would change the game too much. While American football allows the use of hands on the ball, and ball- carrying is quite common in the game, feet are also used to kick it fairly often (see "punt" and "field goal"). No water- filled glass ball could accommodate that impact (not to mention it would weigh a lot more than a regular air-filled ball).
-- Vernon, Oct 03 2016


I too like the idea of a frangible, breakage-indicating sports ball. Perhaps if it isn't practical for American football, a new sport could be invented for it. Or maybe kicking could be replaced with leg-powered slingshots or something.
-- notexactly, Oct 11 2016


Perhaps something involving acceleration detection igniters.
-- FlyingToaster, Oct 12 2016


Basketball would be greatly improved by this idea.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 12 2016



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