Alright, let’s talk about this “protective cup football” thing I’ve been messing around with. It’s kinda weird, I know, but hear me out.
It all started when I was watching some old soccer games, and I kept seeing guys taking shots…you know, there. And I thought, “Man, that’s gotta hurt.” Then my mind just wandered, and the next thing I knew, I was thinking about how to make it less painful, maybe even…fun? (Okay, “fun” might be a stretch.)
So, first things first, I needed a protective cup. Headed down to the local sports store, grabbed the sturdiest-looking one they had. It was, like, fifteen bucks. Not bad. Figured this was a good starting point. I made sure to try it on to be sure it would at least fit, before getting too far into the process. Good fit, lets go.
Next up: the “football” part. I didn’t want to just kick the cup around. That’s boring, and probably not good for it. So I thought, how can I make this into an actual game? I decided to try sewing the protective cup onto an old soccer ball, directly onto the leather seemed to be the best option, but sewing was not. It took like 2 hours just to attach the stupid cup, and it already looked like it was going to rip right off. Not the best option, but I didnt give up yet!
The first attempt was a disaster. The cup kept falling off. I had to reinforce the connection like crazy. Used some heavy-duty glue, zip ties, and more stitching. It looked ridiculous, but it held. (For a while, anyway.)
Finally, I took it out to the park for a test run. Me, a protective cup zip-tied to a soccer ball, and a whole lot of confused onlookers. The initial kicks were…interesting. It definitely flew differently than a normal ball. Kind of wobbled all over the place. But hey, it was airborne!
Tried to get some friends involved, but they just laughed. “You’re playing football with that?” Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. I’m innovating here! (Or at least, trying to.)
The biggest challenge was durability. The constant kicking and impact kept stressing the connections. I kept having to patch it up after every few sessions. Seriously considered 3D printing a special cup with better attachment points. Maybe that’s the next step.
So, where am I now? Well, the “protective cup football” is still a work in progress. It’s janky, it’s weird, and it definitely needs some refinement. But it’s also kinda fun in a stupid way. And hey, I learned a lot about sewing, gluing, and the limitations of zip ties. Maybe I’ll even get some of my buddies to play with me, maybe not, who knows.
Would I recommend you try this at home? Probably not. But if you’re bored and have a spare protective cup lying around… well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
