Why do NFL players paint under their eyes?

As much as you might be inclined to think that it’s about looking warrior-like when going into battle with another team, yes, the black paint seen under the eyes of football player in the NFL does actually serve a purpose aside from making them look like badasses.

Why do NFL players paint under their eyes?

As mentioned before, there is actually a practical side to the practice of painting under the eye in the NFL, and that’s the reduction of light. Players utilize paint just under the eyes in order to block both sunlight and flood lights from affecting their ability to see the ball or their coach’s signals. Indeed, this has been done by players for several decades now, and quite frankly with good reason. Whether it’s the sun or high-powered lights in the stadiums where they play, light, in general, can lessen the visual capacity of players, and in a game as high-speed and detail-oriented as football, that just can’t be.

What about the details of the product?

As things stand, eye black as it’s known is available in different forms, however, the clear favorite among players is the roll-on. As you can imagine, the roll-on, like deodorant allows for direct application to the skin making the process quick, easy, and simple. Yet, there is another commonly used product which is the stick-on strip, an item that rose in popularity among players due to the fact that it does not smear. As the name suggests, it works much like tape with a sticky adhesive on one side and the color black on the other. 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.

OK, but does black paint under the eyes actually work?

Well, according to eyeblack.com, a company that develops and sells the product, “one of the strongest reflectors of light is one’s own skin, particularly the area under the eye.” This of course supports the company’s notion that when light hits the cheek, it can create a distracting glare which in turn can result in a player squinting, something that as mentioned above can reduce visual capacity, thereby creating a “need” for black paint. After all, who wants to lose a game because they couldn’t see properly due to glare?

Yet, it makes sense that a company that makes and sells a product would also promote its necessity which brings us to the original question, does black paint under the eye actually work? Surprisingly, a study by the ophthalmology department of the Yale School of Medicine conceded that it does. As per the study, it was found that “eye black grease does appear to have anti-glare properties.” Further to that, the study also revealed that there was one level of sensitivity improvement for those who used the grease compared with those who didn’t. Conversely, the study clarified that anti-glare stickers do not have the same effect.

So, what’s the conclusion about black paint under the eyes?

For us, the jury is still out on this one. It would be fairly hard to definitively say that a minimal reduction in glare is the difference between a win and a loss. On the other hand, football is a game of inches, meaning there is an argument that can be made in favor of the paint. If nothing else it certainly makes them look more intimidating which is never a bad thing when going to war with another team.