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Super Bowl footballs authenticated

DETROIT, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Footballs for this year's Super Bowl will be authenticated with a drop of synthetic DNA to deter the sale of "game-used" counterfeits.

The real ones can be determined by exposing them to a specific laser frequency when the DNA will glow to a bright green, reports The Los Angeles Times.

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"The ball can change hands a thousand-plus times, but it will never lose that DNA," said Joe Orlando, head of the California company which marked the Super Bowl footballs. "The chance of replicating this exact DNA sequence is one in 33 trillion, so it's virtually impossible."

The NFL has prepared 120 Wilson footballs for Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks and plans to use a new one on every play of the first half, before going to a 12-ball rotation after halftime, The Times reported.

Some of the footballs are donated to charities, while others are set aside for players, coaches and officials.

Some players feel changing the balls so often could pose problems as new balls tend to be slippery.

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