What can you put on football gloves to make them sticky?

Football gloves often lose the stickiness that helps receivers catch the football over the long season. Gloves are often expensive, so it’s important to maintain stickiness throughout the year. There is a way to save football gloves to make them sticky again.

Make football gloves sticky again by treating them with baby wipes after the game. Storing the gloves in a dry, clean locker will help preserve the lifespan and longevity of the gloves.

In this article, we’re going to examine the different ways that stickiness can be restored to your gloves.

Why Does The Stickiness On My Gloves Wear Off?

The stickiness of football gloves wears off for multiple reasons.

Football players often accumulate sweat and dirt on their gloves as they consistently hit the ground. Football players can’t avoid these situations, however, they can avoid taking care of the gloves to prolong their lifespan of the gloves.

Natural Deterioration Of The Gloves

Natural deterioration can occur as the gloves are used over time. Football is a contact sport, which gloves can rip easily when a tackle is made. The game’s physicality will cause the gloves to rip either at the seams or the fingertips.

Like most sticky substances, it will tend to wear off over time as the player continues to use it.

We recommend having a practice and a game pair of gloves, which allows you to preserve your gloves and achieve maximum stickiness during games. It’s always good to have another pair available at your disposal.

Dirt, Grass & Weather Conditions

Along with wear and tear, football gloves lose their stickiness because of the surface of a football.

Dirt, grass, and even turf will naturally deteriorate at the stickiness of the glove.  Natural weather conditions such as rain or snow can also affect the sticky substance on the football glove.

Football players are often forced to practice and play in these conditions. Players need to decide before practice if it’s worth ruining gloves before they take to the field.

We recommend the player keep their good gloves in their locker when they have to practice in poor weather conditions. Check the weather on your phone and see if there will be any rain or snow. If there is even the slightest chance of rain or snow, keep the gloves stored in your locker.

Combined with wear and tear, natural weather conditions can make brand new gloves turn into mid-season gloves within the first few days of using them.

Poor Storage Of The Football Gloves

Gloves should be stored in a dry, cool area to maintain stickiness. Gloves often buried at the bottom of a locker or in a bag can often become crusty, mainly because of the sweat accumulated and drying overnight.

Football gloves, especially for wide receivers, should be stored with extra care. We recommend hanging out to dry or keeping them on the top shelf of your locker, where air can easily access them.

Storing the gloves in a closed, condensed space will often cause them to wrinkly, smell, and become stiff. This is because of the natural build-up of sweat, dirt, and bacteria.

Wash the gloves frequently and make sure the gloves are kept in a spot to breathe and ventilate properly. Having to buy multiple pairs over the course of the year can get pricey.

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During the game, you may need to quickly make your gloves sticky again before catching footballs. Below are different ways that you can temporarily increase the stickiness of your gloves.

Spit On The Gloves

The moisture will cause a short-term stickiness on the gloves. This method is beneficial before the huddle break or when you’re on the sideline.

Never spit on your gloves before the play is about the start; it might tip the defense off that it’s a pass play.

If you spit on your gloves, also be sure to wash your gloves after every game or practice. Consistently spitting on them will cause a bacteria build-up, and the glove will start to get stiff.

Use Baby Wipes To The Clean Gloves

Using baby wipes or any wet wipe can help activate a short-term stickiness for the gloves.

In between offensive or defensive series is when this method should be applied. This is not a great long-term solution, but it will help temporarily at the beginning of practice or a game.

Baby wipes have been known to give the glove a new and tacky feeling, which can help short-term reliability.

Stick’em, and pine tar is illegal. They rose in the ’80s and ’90s where receivers used the green substance to help improve catching ability.

Stick’em, for instance, is an illegal gel that was popularized in the movie “Little Giants.”

Flash forward to 2020, and we have a new substance, which is perfectly legal and works within all football rules.

Grip Boost

From the Grip Boost website…

“ Most football gloves lose their tackiness/grip quickly due to intense frictional contact, experienced throughout practices and games during the football season. Usually, the grip on a pair of brand-new gloves wears down after just a few days of practice. Just how do you get them to keep their sticky grip? Two years of iterative product development between football players and chemical engineers led to the creation of Grip Boost Football Gel — the first product to restore the sticky grip to football gloves without leaving any residue on the ball. Grip Boost is a patent-pending invention and currently licensed by Grip Boost Inc. from the University of Maryland’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC).”

Grip Boost has been used for gloves in all sports – including baseball, golf, and most importantly, football.

Grip Boost Gloves

If you’re looking for football gloves to purchase, which already have a sticky grip on them, we recommend trying Grip Boost.

Grip Boost is our choice for the natural sticky gloves because their whole company is predicated on boosting your grip.

Grip Boost offers a lightweight glove solution with a proprietary formula to help maintain grip throughout the game. Specially designed to absorb their Grip boost gel, this application can be added with no glove deterioration.

Battle Ultra Stick Gloves

Battle is the leader in gloves and everything football. Their famous “BATTLE” logo can be recognized 100 yards away. They have some of the top products in the football industry right now for back pads and football accessories.

It’s no different with their gloves. These gloves provide “ultra tack,” where they push the legal stick limit to keep the tackiness in your glove maintained.

Breathable and tight to the hand, these gloves feel like an added layer of skin and not another lunky glove. These gloves provide a 90-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied.

EliteTek RG-14 Football Gloves

Elite Tek is starting to make a name for themselves as they enter the glove business. The RG-14 gloves are NOCSAE certified. Their GripTech pal technology performs well under the weather and bad surface conditions.

Fit for all sizes, including youth to adults, these gloves are a great option if you’re looking for budgeted gloves. They provide a 100% money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied. We recommend other gloves on this list, but these aren’t bad if you’re looking for a quick and reliable practice glove.

Cutters Rev Pro

Cutters have been an industry leader in football gloves sales for over 10 years. When their only product is gloves, you know it’s something they’re serious about.

Cutters come standard with their patented “C-Tack” technology, which provides stickiness for an extended period of time.

These gloves are at the top of our list for consistency, especially after a fresh wash/baby wipe down. They are light enough to not be a hassle on the hands and thick enough to withstand contact.

Related Questions

What Are Football Gloves Made Of?

Football gloves are often synthetic leather, latex, polyester, nylon, silicone, and neoprene materials.

Depending on the manufacturing company, gloves may include all or a combination of all the materials above.  

What Size Football Gloves Should I Buy For My 7-Year-Old Or First Year Football Player?

Cutters gloves or Elite Tek RG-14 gloves are options for players just starting at 7 years old. 7-Year-olds who are just starting will feel like their favorite professional player and also have the security of a well-made glove. These two brands are both reliable and sustainable.

These will have the most impact on younger players who will need help catching and securing the football.    

What Are The Best Gloves For 12-Year-Olds Or Middle School players?

As the player’s hands get bigger, players should start purchasing gloves based on their position. Lineman should invest in lineman gloves, which have more padding in the fingers. Skill players should buy gloves that are lighter and stickier for ball security.

Cutters offer both types of gloves for skill players and linemen. 12-year-olds or middle school players should start with Cutter Gloves if they’re just starting for reliable gloves.

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