Grease under the eyes of football players - dumb or not?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the practice of football players applying grease, commonly referred to as eye-black, under their eyes. Participants explore its intended purpose, effectiveness in reducing glare, and comparisons to similar practices in other sports, particularly baseball. The conversation touches on historical and cultural aspects as well as personal experiences with the product.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that eye-black is intended to reduce glare, although the effectiveness of this claim is questioned, particularly regarding the angle of incident light.
  • One participant references a Mythbusters episode that examined the use of eye-black in baseball, raising the question of whether the findings apply to football.
  • A historical perspective is introduced, noting that Maori warriors used similar practices for intimidation, which some participants find relevant.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of wearing sunglasses in football compared to baseball, where players can use them freely.
  • Several participants express uncertainty about the actual performance benefits of eye-black, with one sharing a personal experience of not noticing a difference when wearing it at night.
  • Another participant mentions that eye-black may serve an aesthetic purpose, contributing to an intimidating appearance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the effectiveness or necessity of eye-black. Multiple competing views remain regarding its purpose, with some asserting it reduces glare while others question its value.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations in understanding the effectiveness of eye-black, particularly regarding its impact on performance and the influence of lighting conditions. The discussion also notes the absence of definitive evidence linking eye-black to improved visibility or performance in football.

stevejn
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Grease under the eyes of football players -- dumb or not?

Maybe this is silly question, but why do football players put grease under their eyes? I've always assumed that it's supposed to reduce glare, but this seems to make little sense considering the angle of the incident light, which mostly comes from above. There could be some reflection from the turf, but this would seem insignificant. If this is the reason, then why don't baseball players do it, considering that fielders have to look skyward? Actually, one of last year's super bowl quarterbacks, Kurt Warner, did not have grease under his eyes, but the other quarterback did. Perhaps Warner knows it's nonsense and the practice is just based on someone's pet theory that caught on. Warner, by the way, is one of the most accurate passers in NFL history (second in career completion percentage according to Wikipedia). But maybe it's not about glare. Am I wrong?
 
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Mythbusters did part of episode on this. They looked at baseball players instead. I do not know if the results transfer to football. The question is, "Does the football helmet do the same job as the baseball cap?" I saw that one and thought they used the baseball helmet that is used when batting. The black "grease" in question is eye-black. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2008_season)#Eye_Black.
 


Maori warriors did it to intimidate their enemy:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Maori-Warriors
Bob S
 
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In terms of a ray-tracing problem, it's hard to understand how light that's incident below the eye ends up in the eye. It also seems to be a much more common practice among football players than baseball players. The key question is does it make any difference in performance? I find that a little hard to believe.
 


uhhh guys...

Baseball players can and do wear flip down sunglasses in the field.
Football players could theoretically wear sunglasses but having plastic or glass crushed into one's face is not good. Some football players do wear facemask shields that are tinted.
 


This doesn't explain whether putting grease under the eyes is of any value whatsoever.
 


there was a questioned phrased why don't baseball players do it... I assumed the doing it meant put eyeblack on? The answer is that baseball players in the field can wear sunglasses if they wish.

Maybe I read it wrong.

And no, the post did not answer the question of eyeblack and reflection.

Personally I have worn it before. At night with artificial lighting coming from many directions. And personally I could not see well at night with or without the eyeblack.
 
stevejn said:
This doesn't explain whether putting grease under the eyes is of any value whatsoever.

Anti-glare.
http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/121/7/997

It also looks 'intimidating'.
 

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