Now, you’re asking, “What is Stickum made of?” Well, let me tell ya—this sticky stuff, it’s nothin’ too fancy, but it sure has a sticky story to it! Back in the day, especially in the 1970s and early 1980s, all them football players had their hands on this thing called Stickum. Imagine tryin’ to catch a football that just don’t wanna slip away. That’s what Stickum was for.
Stickum was mostly used by folks in the NFL, especially them wide receivers and defensive backs. They’d slather this sticky goo all over their hands, arms, and sometimes even their uniforms. It looked like someone spilled a jar of honey on ’em! And one fella, Lester Hayes—oh, you should’ve seen him—he used so much Stickum that it practically dripped off his hands! They say he was stickier than a flytrap in July. And because of him and some other players, it got so outta hand that the NFL finally had to ban it in 1981. But folks still wonder, what was in that stuff anyway?
So, what’s in Stickum? Well, Stickum’s made of a few simple things that anyone could probably get their hands on. It’s got a base of paraffin wax and petroleum jelly—yep, that jelly stuff folks put on dry skin. These ingredients make it all gooey and thick, kinda like a homemade glue. They mixed in a few other bits and bobs to make sure it’d stick real good, but nobody’s got the full recipe just lying around. All anyone knows is it was sticky as all get out and yellow as a field of dandelions in spring.
Now, how did Stickum work? Imagine you’re out there on the field, and a football comes whizzin’ toward ya. With Stickum, soon as that ball touched your hands, it’d just stay there, like a magnet to iron! Receivers would just grab hold, and it’d take some effort to let go, almost like they glued the ball to their fingers. The substance was so thick, they couldn’t even put it all on their hands. Some’d put it on their socks, arms, or wherever they could reach.
Course, after a while, folks thought it was a bit unfair. I mean, if you’ve got Stickum, and the other guy doesn’t, that ball’s more likely to stay with you, right? So the NFL finally threw up their hands and said, “No more!” But by then, Stickum had already made a name for itself. Players like Fred Biletnikoff from the Oakland Raiders and Lester Hayes were known for using Stickum so much that it became their little secret weapon. Only problem was, their secret was a bit too obvious! After all, when you see a player out there with sticky yellow goo all over, it’s hard to miss.
So what’s Stickum used for nowadays? Well, since the NFL banned it, you won’t see it on the field anymore. But that don’t mean it disappeared. Stickum, or similar sticky stuff, is still used here and there, especially for non-sports things. Folks use it to hang up posters, seal envelopes, and all sorts of other sticky jobs. It’s a simple little trick for makin’ things stay put, just like it helped them football players keep that ball glued to their hands back in the day.
Funny thing is, some folks still miss the days of Stickum. They say it was just part of the game, like how basketball’s got that squeaky sound from shoes on the floor. But times change, and rules change, and now it’s all history. But you gotta admit, that old sticky stuff sure did make a mark on the game—figuratively and literally! Now you know what’s in Stickum, and how it went from a player’s best friend to banned forever. Ain’t it funny how things work out?
Tags: [Stickum, NFL, Lester Hayes, Fred Biletnikoff, Oakland Raiders, sticky substance, paraffin wax, petroleum jelly]
