Headlines
Cutting It Up! (February 2008)
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Former professional football player for 10 years, Kwamie Lassiter, will not be watching the Super Bowl on Sunday. "I'll probably be watching the FBR Open, I'll see it on the news, I'll watch channel 12... it'll be there." Lassiter, much like the local glove company, Cutters, will take a break from the game of football, to focus in a different direction. Golf.
This reporter last met with the owner and creator of Cutters gloves, Jeff Beraznik, in 2006 when Cutters gloves were making a mark with football players. A couple weeks ago, he launched a new glove at a Florida PGA show that golfers can wear. "One of the advantages for golf is being able to hold on to a club with less grip pressure," says Beraznik. Why? It's a material called C-Tack. Let's back up a bit. In 1996, Beraznik was in Canada getting his master's degree and playing college football. He hurt his hand. So, he grabbed a pair of glass cutter's gloves and re-configured them so he could use them to catch. At first, everyone laughed, but then they noticed something. The gloves helped him catch the ball better, "by the end of the season everyone was wearing them," says Beraznik.
By year 2000, Beraznik had moved to Arizona and started a business: Cutters gloves. "The unique thing about C-Tack is because it's actually part of the material the grip won't wear away," says Beraznik. Other manufacturers spray on their "sticky stuff." Beraznik says it's clear big name companies want to copy Cutters gloves but so far they haven't figured out how to do it. When C-Tack was made for the first time Beraznik decided to patent it. But later during the process he pulled out, deciding at that point to make it a "trade secret" instead.
Pretty soon, the football world paid attention to Cutters. High school, college and NFL players have been spotted wearing them during any given game. Even players on both Super Bowl teams have worn them before: On the Patriots, Kelly Washington, Randy Moss, Wes Walker, and Tom Brady have sported the gloves. On the Giants, Jeremy Shockey wears them. Now the goal is to get the golf world to pay attention.
For two years, Beraznik and his team looked to design the perfect golf glove and after tons of research, they feel they've done it. Beraznik says the fit of golf gloves is very important and the design, very different. A football glove is made out of synthetic leather. A golf glove, out of sheep leather. The fit is altogether different. "I'm actually surprised it took this long to be honest," says 4th year pro golfer Scott McNeil, "they've been making football gloves with traction for a long time." McNeil tried the gloves on while we were there for the first time, "I like 'em, I like 'em," was his response.
After football, Lassiter started swinging the sticks a lot more often. For 10 years he played professional football for the Cardinals, Chargers and Rams. He did not wear Cutters gloves during his career, but says "had I known about (them) ... this is almost perfect!" Now he wears the golf glove and has only one suggestion: the thing I would do, is add more colors in my glove, to match my outfits seriously, dead serious!" And you can... on Cutters website you can pick your own colors. They also have tape with the same material available for golfers if you're opposed to the glove.
So while the valley will split their attention between two huge events in Arizona... so will Cutters "We'll just be having a watchful eye on both events and sit back and enjoy like everybody else..." You can catch them at two big events this weekend. They'll be exhibiting and doing football and golf demonstrations at the ESPN NEXT Event. It's at Scottsdale Civic Center, Saturday, Feb. 2nd , 12 - 6 pm. People attending the event will learn proper football catching technique using one of our training products and will be able to participate in putting. Cutters is also the sponsor of the Snoop Youth Football League and will be at the 'SnooperBowl' at Chandler High school Saturday, sporting Cutters Gloves.
Cutters golf gloves retails for about 25 to 30 dollars. Football gloves are 35 to 40. Their next glove to tackle? Soccer goal keepers gloves.
Source: Nicole McGregor, 12 News Today
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