A football pass or punt thrown or kicked as a spiral is a gyroscope. Our yo-yos, Frisbees, and tops are all toys that work on the principle of the gyroscope. The gyroscope is much more than a toy. Gyroscopes are used in planes, rockets, submarines, and spacecrafts to maintain directions and provide stability. At that speed, the instrument is incredibly steady and reliable, and people's lives are at stake each time the instrument is in use.
Planet Earth spins at one revolution per day.
When a figure skater or a ballet dancer spins, pulling their arms and legs into their bodies, their rate of spin increases to conserve angular momentum. Glen Byars, of Radiation Research, Inc. in San Antonio, Texas, calculates that, if you accomplish the shrinking described above, the rotational velocity of the Earth would be about 88,000 revolutions per minute or nearly ten times as fast as a standard aircraft gyroscope. It is this incredibly high rate of spin that allows man to survive on this planet. Not only does Earth remain stable through meteorite strikes, volcanoes, atomic bombs, and other catastrophic events, but the rapid spin also generates Earth's magnetic field which shields us from the radiation of outer space.