Football is one of the most popular sports in America. Whether you play it professionally, at school, or just in the backyard on a Saturday, you’re aware of football gloves and how important they are. Football gloves sticky spray or special sticky gloves are key equipment that help players keep a grip on the ball. But where did football gloves sticky spray and grip spray, not to mention the gloves themselves, come from?
The First Gloves
Players love gloves. They takes the sting out of a hard catch and protect hands from the cold. They also provide a psychological benefit, as putting on the gloves signals the game is beginning. They also increase the possibility of making a catch. If a glove fits well, it’s a beautiful thing.
Football Gloves Sticky Spray
In the 70s, players in the NFL started using “Stickum.” This special tacky spray was amazing. You could put a thin layer on your gloves, lay your hand flat on the ball, and pick it up without even gripping it. It was marvelous, sticky stuff, and in the 1980s the NFL banned it. It was too messy, and it transferred sticky messes to the balls, the field, and all the players’ clothing.
Glove Evolution
Players loved Stickum, so when it was banned, glove designers realized there was a market for tacky gloves that could help with grip without making a mess. The early gloves were bulky and ill-fitting, but over time the gloves became personalized and better designed for player hands. They were covered in a non-messy grippy substance that falls within the NFL’s regulations for how tacky gloves can be. These sticky gloves became the standard for players at every level.
The Problem
The problem with these gloves is simple: the sticky wears off. Even second skin gloves lose their tacky strength after just a few practices or games. Many NFL receivers regularly go through three or four pairs of these gloves in a game. And while an NFL star and the football team behind him can afford that many gloves for a single game, the average player outside the NFL can’t. Many younger players have to be content with just one pair of gloves for a whole season.
The Solution
Because players need tacky gloves that last, football retailers now offer special football gloves sticky spray to increase the tacky lifespan of gloves. NFL players themselves have been involved with designing these sprays, some of which are actually made from polymers that come from the shells of crabs. The idea of the spray is that it can be quickly applied, will work well, and will not transfer a mess to the ball or anything else on the field.
Football gloves and their sticky palms are essential gear for any player, and particularly for receivers. If you’re looking for how to keep football gloves sticky, look for football grip spray at a retailer near you.
