The 1970s: when the ‘Super Tele’ ball was a trend

Who does not remember the legendary Super Tele, the ball that marked the beginning of the 1970s?

It was born in Italy in July 1972, thanks to the idea of an entrepreneur who wanted to create an affordable ball. It achieved immediate and incredible success; it was the favorite gift of budget-conscious mothers, grandparents who were always obliged to buy something for their grandchildren, and fathers who hated the idea of wasting money on a leather ball, knowing their son would soon lose it anyway.

Thanks to its success, the Super Tele could be found everywhere during the 70s, 80s, and 90s. It was produced in every color: yellow, blue, red, green, and of course white, but the classic pentagons on the ball were strictly black. It was extremely lightweight and suitable for a wide variety of uses; when you played with it, it felt like being in the Captain Tsubasa cartoon, as its lightness caused the ball to take very strange trajectories once struck.

However, where the Super Tele became unbeatable, taking revenge for the daily insults of those who used it regularly, was on the beaches; its lightness became essential for close-range volleyball volleys, young girls did not ruin their newly manicured nails, nor did they risk getting hurt, and people, already annoyed by the surrounding noise, could hardly complain about a ball as light and ethereal as a feather. It was the first ball to replace the classic solid leather color with black pentagons, like those used in the Mexico World Cup, and ultimately, this credential was enough for it to enter the Olympus of modern balls.

As a child, I played with it a lot and punctured dozens of Super Teles. How about you?