Football players wear black on their face, called “eye black,” mainly to reduce glare and help them see better, and partly for style and intimidation.

Glare and vision

• The black grease or stickers under the eyes are meant to absorb light reflecting off the skin, which can slightly reduce glare from the sun or stadium lights and improve contrast sensitivity.

• Some small studies have found that traditional eye black (grease with carbon/soot) can modestly help players distinguish light and dark better, which may assist in tracking the ball.

Tradition and style

• Eye black has been used by athletes for many decades and became a tradition that many players keep even where any performance benefit is small or unproven.

• Players also use it for aesthetic reasons, such as looking tougher, feeling “game ready,” or writing short messages on stickers, although pro leagues sometimes restrict personal messages.