# Licking hand in Football **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714 "2004-07-05T23:58:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![choens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@choens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choens)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/1 "2004-07-05T23:58:20Z")
Thanks to everyone who helped me out about why guys spit in baseball and in other sports. That got me to thinking. More and more often I see Football Quarterbacks take a good long lick at their hands/fingers before a play when they need to handle the ball. It can’t be that it helps them grip the ball, because there has to be any number of products that could do that for them. I never saw it when growing up playing football in the 70’s. I’m truly waiting for some dumb QB to fall over with some infection - after all football is a pretty dirty game - even for a QB. So why do they lick their hands? Charlie ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/2 "2004-07-06T00:03:16Z")
I think it does help to grip the football. Try it out sometime and see for yourself. You’ll also notice that if the QB licks his fingers, he will almost certainly be throwing the ball on that play. That’s mostly just my experience of watching football talking, but I thought I saw a mention of the same thing on one of those Sunday morning NFL shows. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/3 "2004-07-06T00:06:49Z")
> [@choens](#): > > Thanks to everyone who helped me out about why guys spit in baseball and in other sports. That got me to thinking. > > More and more often I see Football Quarterbacks take a good long lick at their hands/fingers before a play when they need to handle the ball. It can’t be that it helps them grip the ball… > > So why do they lick their hands? > > Charlie Yep, it’s that simple. Try it yourself when your hands are dry, from low humidity(Fall/Winter) or dirt/mud on them. And, as to you concern about hygiene----Hey! These are _quarterbacks_ for cripes sake. It’s not like they’re an all-pro linebacker. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![choens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@choens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choens)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/4 "2004-07-06T00:15:09Z")
C’mon guys! You can do better than that. They start licking their hands just after the last play has been blown dead. It’s not like they are licking just before getting over center. And if if they did then, it wouldn’t help. I mean, I sometimes lick my fingers when turning the pages of a book and that hardly has any effect or lasts more than 5 seconds or so. Personally I think they like eating dirt! Charlie ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/5 "2004-07-06T01:56:03Z")
Charlie, You said in your OP… > [@](#): > > It can’t be that it helps them grip the ball, because there has to be any number of products that could do that for them. Again, it DOES help them grip the ball. Ever done it yourself? I have. It does. As for the use of “any number of products,” you’d have to ask the question—can they use foreign substances? My WAG–probably not. ---
**Author:** ![choens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@choens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choens)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/6 "2004-07-06T02:08:47Z")
I’ve played football too, not QB, but Middle-Linebacker. I really never saw anyone do it when I played so I think it is an acquired affectation that has come about over the past few years. Are you serious when you say that you lick your hand and that amount of stickum lasts long enough for you to get under the center, call signals and grab the ball so it has some effect? Dat’s a lot of sticky stuff you have there! Not to mention the weather conditions under which it’s done - i.e. hot weather and freezing cold conditions. Some QB is going to get a virus soon or worse some Jason Giambi parasite, but don’t blame me! I warned you! Charlie ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/7 "2004-07-06T05:11:44Z")
Football players are not allowed to apply foreign substances to their bodies or uniforms in an attempt to improve their grip since the 1980s. Back in the day, guys like Fred Biletnikoff would coat themselves in “Stickum” which would help them catch footballs. A QB wouldn’t use that however because it would make it too hard to let go of the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/8 "2004-07-06T13:45:44Z")
And even if football players were allowed to apply stickum, it would be difficult for a quarterback to reapply it between plays. And something useful for gripping the ball and throwing it would probably wear off quickly. An additional reason for putting fingers to one’s mouth is to warm them, though I think a lot of the current finger-lickin’ is probably just as much of an affectation as painting black grease under the eyes. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/9 "2004-07-06T14:39:00Z")
> [@choens](#): > > They start licking their hands just after the last play has been blown dead. I see them blowing on their hands right after the last play, but not licking until the play is supposed to start. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/10 "2004-07-06T15:00:34Z")
I played center in high school. My line coach got me into licking my hand (well, not so much my hand but my fingertips) before I snapped the ball. Makes a big difference, especially considering that stickum is generally illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/11 "2004-07-06T17:25:12Z")
When playing basketball, I used to wipe a bit of sweat off my forehead to hellp with ball control when dribbling. Worked wonders. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/licking-hand-in-football/253714/12 "2004-07-06T17:34:14Z")
Growing up, playing backyard football, our QB would put different things on the ball to gross out the defense and keep them from wanting to intercept the ball. Who but a teammate would want to catch a football with a booger (if you were lucky) on it? > [@](#): > > When playing basketball, I used to wipe a bit of sweat off my forehead to hellp with ball control when dribbling. Worked wonders. I used to wipe it on the soles of my sneakers. Kept the sliding to a minimum.