You really have to hand it to Odell Beckham Jr.
– #Quiz360: Monday's teasers – WIN 250AED to spend at Legends Sports Bar
– LeBron James leads Cleveland Cavaliers to victory against Orlando Magic
One moment of magic has sky-rocketed the 22 year-old New York Giants receiver from rookie upstart to NFL superstar in a flash.
In a season which has been blighted by the disgraceful antics of myriad miscreants off the field, the gridiron hype machine has been gleefully whirring itself into a crazed frenzy.
And why not? It was, after all, a piece of majestic drama only sport can conjure up in the blink of an eye.
Ray Rice will soon be hogging the headlines once again after being given the all-clear to return to action following one of the most shameful incidents of all time yet let’s indulge in what actually happens on game day for once.
His stunning, one-handed (he somehow wrapped three fingers around the ball), almost inconceivable touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday left a gobsmacked nation with jaws on the floor like never before.
It was an astonishing piece of athleticism, up there with the greatest cricket catches you’ve ever seen. It’s been dubbed as one of the best play in NFL history – and rightly so.
“Catch it like Beckham” or the “Immaculate Reception” were some of the wonderful headlines being bandied about.
It wasn’t enough to spare the hapless Giants from another defeat in a campaign which hit the rocks a long time ago.
Yet it did at least illustrate how a player’s career can turn around with breathtaking speed.
Beckham Jr has endured an injury-ravaged first season in the NFL. A back problem had forced last summer’s No12 draft pick to sit out the start of the season.
This was only his seventh game yet the man now known as OBJ caught the world’s attention in one wondrous athletic moment of which even a contortionist would have been proud.
And in an instant, his life has changed. LeBron James was tweeting about its brilliance while others were rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
“It’s been pretty crazy, definitely surreal,” Beckham Jr said when asked about the leap and grab which has transformed his career.
“My phone’s being going off, it’s just not something I have been used to even though I went to a big school. This is still a lot to take in, I am just going to try my best to eliminate it but it’s kinda hard to avoid it right now.”
It certainly helps that he owns a pair of hands which are 2.5 inches larger than most. Interestingly though, they are not the biggest in the NFL – three others have larger mitts.
It’s also handy he has a glove endorsement with Nike which the sportswear giants are , undoubtedly, delighted with. They certainly wasted no time in cashing in.
Their official Twitter account almost instantly sent out a photo with the tagline “Drop Jaws. Catch Everything Else.” A link to their own brand Vapor Jet 3.0 glove, available with the logos of all 32 NFL teams, was duly attached.
Industry analysts estimate Nike received an incredible $2.17 million through media exposure, mainly thanks to 35,512 tweets referring to Beckham Jr in the immediate aftermath.
And, most importantly, the TV highlights which were flashed around the globe showed the Nike swoosh on his right hand.
Yet the most intriguing aspect of analysing Beckham’s coming of age moment, comes when picking the bones out of glove technology.
They are made from a combination of polyester, nylon, silicone, and neoprene materials, and include a technology called Magnigrip which sticks to the ball.
NFL receivers are allowed to wear ones with a cushioned surface to aid catching.
Certainly legendary players from yesteryear like Fred Biletnikoff, Paul Warfield and Jerry Kramer were barehanded – and proud.
“Odell wanted total range of motion and full dexterity with no restrictions, so the fabric is finely tuned to move naturally with the hand,” a Nike spokesman said.
“As with all of our athletes, the insights we gather from them as it relates to their performance and the game are a very important part of the Nike design process.
“The gloves definitely help, but that’s part of the game,” Beckham added. “You’re allowed to wear gloves. They’re not against the rules, but they definitely do help.”
Helped by his gloves or not, Odell Beckham Jr still has magic hands.
