Jay-Z inspired... yet it nearly didn’t happen.

College football athletes are creative. They always seek novel ways to express themselves and their team. Their ‘look’ is set by how they accessorize their gloves, cleats, socks, and tights.

Yet before 2010, NCAA football gloves offered no means for expression. Then and now, a football gloves' key function is the palm. It's where the sticky stuff goes. It’s a must for keeping the ball.

Enter a new tacky palm material. In 2009 Nike changed to a tacky process that allowed for printing graphics, like a t-shirt. This seemed like an opportunity. But how?

Luckily, a photo surfaced of a football player flashing Jay-Z’s new hand signal, the Roc. It sparked an idea: Let's print a team’s logo, half on each palm. When both hands come together, the logo is complete. Bingo! Look at my team!

Wait a minute. Big problem. College brand departments are very protective of their marks. Certainly they wouldn’t allow it. Would they? We tried it anyway.

Boom! The first dozen NCAA teams approved. On field the idea went viral. The early teams now had a psychological advantage. You know, “look good, play good.”

Soon every Nike NCAA team had their own version. Later the whole of the NFL sported theirs. Both athletes and fans.

The lesson? Connect the dots. You never know what'll stick.