[joezydeco]

I was actually surprised by the 1970 ball. I grew up thinking that the 1970 design was the design that's always been there.

So how did this design become the synonym for "soccer/football" while the others have not?

[ugh]

The first soccer ball that wasn’t boring and actually recognizable as a soccer ball? Many more people than before were able to see the Worldcup in the 1970s (because many more had TVs)? It was the first sponsored ball and Adidas put a lot of money in Marketing?

I don’t know but those seem like plausible explanations.

[joezydeco]

The first sponsored ball angle makes a lot of sense.