What is the purpose of eye black?

Eye black, that famous smudge under athletes’ eyes, has become a ubiquitous part of sports culture. It’s not uncommon to see players with faces covered in this mysterious substance as they step onto the field or court.

But what exactly is eye black and why do so many athletes use it? Is there magic in that little smear of grease paint, or does it serve a more practical purpose? In this article we’ll delve deep into the mystery behind eye black and find out what its true purpose might be!

What is Eye Black?

Before we talk about why people use it, let’s start by discussing what eye black actually is. At its most basic level, eye black is a type of cosmetic used by athletes to help reduce glare from lights and sunshine.

It generally comes in two forms: paste or stickers. The paste version involves applying a thick glop underneath your eyes using your fingers or an applicator wand; while stickers are just as their name suggests – pre-made adhesive strips which can be stuck on below the eyes like plasters.

Regardless of how you apply it though, eye black always ends up looking pretty cool – edgy even if I do say so myself! To further enhance its dastardly appearance some super sporty types mix glitter powder into theirs too! Sounds fab-u-lous darling!

Where Did Eye Black Come From?

For many years now- since at least ancient Egyptian times – warriors have worn markings beneath their eyes meant to protect them against bright sunglare whilst fighting. So you could argue that those heroic Egyptians were way ahead when it came runners-up medals for trying hard.

The modern form of ‘eyeblack’ however came around decades later during baseball games played under floodlights- with one ballplayer back then seemingly rubbing charcoal (or burnt cork) underneath his own eyes before taking turns scribbling sets of parallel lines through that original dirt smudge.

From there, usage soon spread across other sports as well – so much so now that you’d be hard-pressed not to see it at just about any sporting event these days. Even Bumblebee from Transformers usually has some on!

The Best Use for Eye Black

As I mentioned before, the primary reason athletes use eye black is to reduce glare – a problem commonly experienced by people who play outdoor sports such as American football, cricket and baseball….those sportstar divas can’t remember their shades!

The white of an athlete’s eyes is very reflective which causes light to bounce within the eyeball (making them squint), increasing visual attentional task redundancy and reaction time. !Eye black provides high contrast bordering around one’s face enhancing facial recognition; acting like blackout curtains.

Because of this effect on vision though only players with white skin could really benefit from wearing eyeblack sticks/paste. Thus for non-white skinned ballers or cricketers in sunny climes- they would have been playing since way back without the perceived advantages afforded by seizable sections under each glassy orbit
I guess its useless gadgetry in disguise…but don’t tell anyone I said that!

Does Eye Black Have Any Real Advantages?

If you’re wondering whether all those athletes are actually benefiting from using eye black, the answer…is sometimes, but not always I mean let’s get real here: It doesn’t work wonders in every situation when applied like a warpaint mateys!!

While studies carried out support its effectiveness against sun glare during daytime , more recent research disputes its potency fro example ….during low sunrise/sunset illumination when facing towards the sun . In fact researchers discovered that regular sunglasses provided better protection against direct sunlight/uv-rays By essentially being PROTECTIVE EYEWEAR

Like many things we do including carrying around keys, phone chargers or lottery tickets- eyeblack then can indirectly alternatively enhance mental fortitude to some extent; Increasing feelings of tenacity and agressiveness – making one feel all pumped up for the game ahead – no-matter its actual efficiency…which sounds good enough to me!

Could Eye Black Have Additional Benefits?

While many people currently accepted advantages may not actually manifest there has been theories that suggest it could have other benefits. In fact someone believes that eye black doesn’t only reduce glare from lights but also, somehow helps improve an athlete’s visual acuity as well.

It’s a bold claim, but supporters believe that the dark color under their eyes creates better contrast between white balls in play which help players focus more on objects moving towards them Which begs us to ask whether they’re being tricked by what is purely just cosmetics…? I leave this to your discretion!

The Other Side of The Coin

As always with even mildly beneficial things there are flip side’s too….and so in comes controversy!! Some parents and coaches have become concerned about using “aesthetic devices” (or placing stickers behind kids’ eyeballs).

They worry that children who wear eye black when playing sports might be more likely than those who don’t use it -to sustain harsh injuries because their vision will be impaired kidding aside since when does aesthetics outweigh life-threatening injuries likr ‘having cataracts form around pupils while playing catcher’!?! Lets put vanity back in the hat/drawer/cubby-hole with nuts and bolts next time!!

Others question why whole teams choose to imitate raccoons before hitting field To sportswriter Leigh Montville: “the big mystery here is why EyeBlack is so widespread among athletes. If nothing else, wearing greasy marks beneath your eyes would seem like sloppy grooming.” Is he trashing these guys???

Call me naive dear readers but ‘ looking sharp’ is important to me – on the field or anywhere! It affects my confidence! So if a non-imperative pasting under each of my eyes helps- I’m all for it!!!

Wrap Up

So, what exactly is the purpose of eye black? As we’ve seen, there’s no one definitive answer – but it seems likely that most athletes use it primarily as an aid in reducing glare from lights and sunshine when playing outdoor sports. If experts debunk this theory they argue that reduced levels of light require actual protective eyewear not cosmetchics!!

It’s possible that eye black could offer some other benefits like improved visual acuity or increased mental fortitude- but these would presumably vary depending on intent/perspective.

Ultimately whether you choose to embrace this latest sporty trend with its sepia-toned style statement/macho man appearance…or not is up to you loves!!!