The Grisly Truth Behind Soccer Ball Manufacturing

In a country like India where half of the population lives below the line of poverty, it seems to be pretty easy for big companies to exploit the inhabitants. Each year millions of soccer balls are produced and distributed to nations all over the globe, mostly from third world to first. Although India isn’t anywhere near being the primary exporter of soccer balls, it has still managed to draw a lot of attention to the industry. A recent report on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel exposed the brutal conditions children endure while producing this common sports item.

Soccer ball manufacturing generally starts at the contractor’s factory where the pieces of leather are printed and cut into small segments. Most of the time those materials are then assembled at the same factory, packaged, and sent to the retailer. However, in some cases the raw materials are packed and handed to middlemen who distribute them to local families, and this is when this situation becomes troublesome.

There are now labor laws in place to monitor city factories where the initial labor is performed (like the FoulBall campaign of 1996) but unfortunately, these regulations haven’t been able to reach the doorsteps of the citizens. Children as young as six years old have been found sewing soccer balls from their homes. Some of the children go to school as well as work, and some have been found working up to 12 hours per day, usually squatting in a hunched over position. They are paid per ball, which takes about 3-6 hours to complete, and on average make 27 cents for each one. When they become adults and if they are lucky, they can make up to 62 cents per ball. That is, if they get to work on the medium-premium quality balls.

One of the saddest things about this terrible situation is that sometimes their labor never comes to an end. Many industries (including soccer ball manufacturing) contribute to and therefore encourage the use of the most horrifying form of human slavery, known as debt bondage. It occurs when a person becomes the collateral against a small loan, usually incurred for basic necessities like food, emergency medical treatment, or funeral expenses. According to a report by Swathi Mehta of Tufts University,

Mr.  Gumbel’s segment focuses on a family enduring this process, where a young mother has two children and the youngest is in dire need of medical attention. So the weary mother makes the difficult decision to “sell” her older child(’s labor) to get a loan to save the life of her younger. I think “her” debt was something along the lines of a hundred dollars. They film the older child sewing away, and at the end of the report announced that the baby ended up dying sometime after the film crew had left.

After the show was over I changed the channel and that “low price guaranteed” commercial for Walmart showed up on the T.V. screen. I couldn’t help but cringe.

These cruel practices must be halted. The world’s poorest people should not be enslaved so that the sporting goods industry can meet the demand of the global market. The Campaign for Labor Rights provides a list of companies that mass produce soccer balls. Write letters to them to express your concern about child labor and demand external monitoring.

ADIDAS Steve Wynne, CEO. 541 NE 20th St. Suite 207, Portland, OR 97232; Tel: 800-289-2724, Fax: (503)797-4935.

UMBRO-USA Ian McLaren, President. 1500 Ponsett Hwy., Greenville, SC 29609 or PO Box 3725, GreenvilleCERO
; Fax: (803) 271-1689., SC 29609; Tel: (803) 233-0000 or (800) SOC-

BRINE, INC. William H. Brine, Jr. Chairman. 47 Sumner St., Milford, MA 01757; Tel: (508) 478-3250 or (800) 227-2722; Fax: (508) 478-2430.

MITRE SPORTS INTERNATIONAL Joe Field, President. Pentland Sports Group, 2214 Metro Center Blvd,. Suite 200, Nashville, TN 37228; Tel: (6150 313-3500; or (800) 826- 7650; Fax: (615)367-7320.

LOTTO USA, INC Gary Wakley, Co. Manager. 1900 Surveyor Blvd., Carrollton
, TX 75006; Tel: (214)416-4003 or (800) 527-5126; Fax: (214-416-4233.

Comments