Footwear fluid-filled chamber having central tensile feature

An article of footwear having an upper and a sole structure secured to the upper, the sole structure comprising:

• a chamber defining an interior void for receiving a pressurized fluid, the chamber having a top portion, a bottom portion, and a side portion extending between the top portion and the bottom portion around a periphery of the chamber;
• a central structure including a continuously bonded area where the top portion of the chamber is joined to the bottom portion of the chamber to form a recess in the top portion of the chamber, the recess extending from a top of the chamber past a midpoint of a thickness of the chamber;
• and
• a reinforcing member including an upper portion having a lower surface bonded to the top portion of the chamber and a support structure extending downward into the recess in the top portion of the chamber, the support structure including a plurality of progressively narrower steps extending from the lower surface to a distal end of the support structure and tapering in a direction from the upper portion toward the central structure, each step of the plurality of progressively narrower steps having a first planar surface facing the upper and a second planar surface defining an outer periphery of the step, the first planar surface being perpendicular to the second planar surface.