Why Do NFL Players Wear Black Paint Under Their Eyes? 

It’s common to see NFL players with dark undereye circles. Sometimes it’s only a sticker, and other times it’s a true glob of grease. Whichever option players choose, these should help reduce glare and make it easier for athletes to pick up the ball. Does it, however, actually aid?

Why Do NFL Players Wear Black Paint Under Their Eyes?

In the 1930s, Babe Ruth became the first professional athlete to be spotted with eye black. Ruth began shielding the sun’s brightness from her eyes during games with black oil. Andy Farkas, a football player with the Washington Redskins, began using it while playing a few years later. As the years went on, more and more players would use dark grease while playing.

To reduce the impact of glare, “eye black” oil or strips are applied underneath the eyes. Tests, however, haven’t really shown how effective it is. It is often used by athletes in sports including baseball, softball, American football/NFL, lacrosse, and softball to reduce the intensity of bright stadium floodlights or sunlight.

In order to prevent sunshine and flood lights from impairing their vision of the ball and their coach’s instructions, players apply paint just beneath their eyes. Players have been doing this for a number of decades, and quite honestly, with good cause. Light in general, whether from the sun or powerful lighting in the stadiums where they play, may impair players’ vision, and in a game as fast-paced and detail-oriented as football, that simply cannot be the case.

An athlete’s ability to see clearly and distinguish minute details may be compromised by bright illumination. They also lessen contrast sensitivity in the eye, which is important for gamers to be able to see moving objects more clearly.

What Is The Paint Made of?

Over the years, eye black has been made by amateur and professional athletes using a range of materials. The mixture’s constituents include burnt cork and shoe polish. Most of the product’s grease form that is now available on the market is made of paraffin, charcoal powder, and beeswax. The antiglare stickers and strips are made of finished cloth with a matte surface.

However, another often-used product is the stick-on strip, which has become more and more well-liked among gamers because it doesn’t smudge. It functions similarly to tape, as the name implies, with a black side and a sticky adhesive on one side. The downside with the strip is that it can fall off over time due to the player’s sweat. Interestingly, many players have continued to use the strips as they are easy to customize with messages, something many have used to promote causes.

 

 

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