What is a football made out of? Are they really made of pigskins?

Football are sometimes called a “pigskin,” which makes people think footballs might be made out of pigs. But nope! The NFL’s official footballs are made of premium cowhide leather. According to the NCAA, college teams also use leather footballs, but they’re a little bit smaller than NFL balls. Younger kids (six to eight years old) use smaller footballs made of rubber. That makes it easier for little hands to grip the ball. Older kids can use footballs made of both rubber and leather, and kids age 13 and up should use an all-leather ball that’s the same size as college footballs.