Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have bought 2 of these, about a year apart. They are leather and although I've never actually played NFL football, they do appear to be the exact game balls used in NFL games. One should realize, however, that when you receive the ball you purchase, it will not be broken in and game ready. In other words, Tom Brady would not want to use it during an AFC Championship against the Colts. Balls actually used for play are well broken in, shiny, tacky to the touch with great grip, and often much darker than the brand new ball you buy. Your new ball will be light in color, slippery, and covered with a red dye that will bleed if the ball gets wet. A little light wipe down with a wet cloth and maybe even some saddle soap will help remove the dye. Once your ball is dry, I suggest regulary rubbing it with a shoe polish brush (or Wilson's proprietary brush if you believe them) to bring it to a shine and give it that tacky feel like the pros expect. My 1 year old ball is much darker than my new ball and I believe it may simply be darkening with time, as I have followed the same break-in procedures for both. See pictures below. The first picture is before and after of the SAME BALL, broken-in (top) and untouched (bottom). The second picture is my 1 year old ball (left) next to my new, untouched ball (right). And the brush pictured is what you can use to dry rub the ball to bring its tacky feel back. Ultimately, the ball is the real deal, and that alone makes it awesome, but it also feels and plays like a great ball as long as you realize how to make it so.