The technical breakthroughs in the skin of those gloves have been so significant that they now allow receivers to catch throws that their forefathers never thought of receiving, and by making the seemingly impossible feasible, they may be revolutionizing the way football is played. During pre-modern times, there were only two ways for a quarterback to deliver the ball to a receiver: throw it or hand it off. Throwing techniques had not changed much over time, but handoffs had become more of a novelty as passers began to feel the need for a break after standing on the sideline for several plays waiting for the opportunity to throw. In fact, early quarterbacks are believed to have received the ball from their coaches or teammates and then carried it themselves into the end zone! But this tradition was short-lived because delivering the ball straight up in the air wasn't very effective, and passer's arms were too weak to haphazardly toss the ball into the end zone while running. So instead, they handed it off to let their teammates get open, but this only worked if you could find someone willing to take the ball and run with it. If the defense got the ball back before the runner reached the end zone, he would be stopped for a loss. This is where sticky gloves come in. They're worn by all quarterbacks in the NFL today and they're required equipment.