Do they make vegan friendly sports equipment? You know, like footballs and soccer balls. That kind of stuff?!
Answers: Sure you can buy balls made of plastic, however they are not very good quality and don't have the same bounce and same features as the real balls. There's a reason equipment is made of what it is.
Thats crazy, but they probably do. No one should be forced to play sports with stuff they feel is wrong to use.
Hey Me!
An interesting question as always. It seems as if there might be a conflict of intrest there if one purchased a leather football, baseball, ect and they were vegan. Of course if they want to play in organized football, baseball or soccer there would be no way around it. Quite the paradox I dare say!
An interesting sidenote the NBA started to use new micorfiber balls last year and the players complained so much about them that they switched back to the leather. The reason for the switch was that the micorfiber balls laster X amount of dribbles more then the leather balls ( I can't recall the figure), but the players sadi they did not bounce the same at all. So it was all for nothing because they are back to the leather balls.
I really do not see any foreseeable change in not using leather balls or gloves in sports.
edit- Hey Me!! I am not a huge Pro Basketball fan but I love College. I am a Bearcats fan since I went there. We are not faring to well now since they got rid of Huggins :(
I am HUGE Football fan though (College and Pro). What about you?
edit 2 ehhhh Chi Town Boy I see. Well, we have managed to swap baseball coaches. I think you guys got the better trade. I want Lou back!
I know that Boxing/Martial Arts gloves, bags, etc. can be found without leather, but they are harder to find. I remember seeing a lot of discussions about this on the vegan fitness forums (http://www.veganfitness.net/). Synthetics are being used more and more, I even heard the NFL was thinking of switching to synthetic balls.
I think the more practical option would be to find a used ball at a store like Play It Again Sports. You wouldn't have to order a new ball, and you would still get what you need. Although some people are freaked out by leather... they may have to stick with nerf.
If people use leather in sports then they are not vegan. Simply put.
You are still THE MOST IMMORAL TROLL EVER!
Nerf?
I dunno, I'm a fairy that doesn't play or participate in sports.
All I know is that my weight bench is covered with naugahyde.
MOST sports balls are synthetic leather. Only high end (pro) equipment still uses genuine hide and I'm not sure you can even buy them at run-of-the-mill sporting goods stores. I know that if you can get the same basketball used for the NBA or NCAA it's going to run you around $75 and if you took that ball out on your driveway to shoot hoops like most people do, the ball would be shot in a matter of hours. The leather can't take the abrasiveness of the cement (imagine taking a nice dress shoe and dragging it across the sidewalk repeatedly).
Also, natural hides tend to leak air, be inconsistent, and are difficult to sew into a ball (or football) shape. So all those things considered, most balls you find on the shelf are in fact going to be synthetic.
Why would they? Vegans don't participate in any sports.