A high-profile animal rights group is calling on the CFL聽to switch to fully synthetic footballs, alleging animal cruelty in the production of the cowskin version.
聽want the league to work with sporting goods manufacturer Wilson to produce a synthetic model by 2027.
PETA says other professional sports played in similar conditions have already made the switch 鈥斅燜IFA聽 at World Cups in 1986, and professional rugby uses聽 at all levels聽鈥 and that North American football is among the last holdouts.
The CFL did not respond to the Star鈥檚 request for comment by the time of publication.
A ball made from animal skin聽鈥 heavier and slippery when wet in bad weather 鈥斅爄s a negative when it comes to game performance as well as the protection of animals, according to PETA.聽
鈥淔IFA and rugby made the switch, I believe, based strictly on performance of the outdoor balls,鈥 said Philip Schein, vice-president of PETA鈥檚 field research.
Schein聽added the organization has also called on the聽NBA and college basketball to switch, but the CFL is the first football league to be approached. Among North America’s biggest leagues, only , also produced by Adidas, are made of synthetic materials. If PETA’s plea to the CFL is successful, it could set a precedent for bigger leagues such as the NFL to follow, said Schein.
PETA鈥檚 call comes on the heels of an undercover investigation at an Ohio slaughterhouse and allegations of animal cruelty. In a letter earlier this month from PETA to CFL commissioner Stewart Johnston聽鈥 whose signature is imprinted on every football 鈥 the animal rights group claims that about 70,000 cows are slaughtered every year to produce roughly 700,000 leather Wilson footballs.
CFL footballs already include synthetic features such as bladders, laces and stitching, but replacing the leather casing is most important, said Schein.
鈥淭his would be a very progressive step for the commissioner and the CFL to really distinguish themselves and be a model for animal protection,鈥 he said.
According to PETA, many football players and officials aren’t aware of the allegations of animal cruelty in production, or simply want to stick with tradition and resist change.
鈥淲e usually find that change comes from the demand side rather than the supply side, especially because big companies are in it to make money,鈥 said Hannah Schein, vice-president of PETA鈥檚 investigations department.
鈥淏ut Wilson already makes a huge array of synthetic footballs, and we know that they have the technology to make elite non-skin balls if they have the demand for it. We have no doubt that they can work with the CFL and the NFL to get this done.鈥
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