Inside Sport newsletter: Get an expert guide to the biggest moments shaping the world of sportGet our free Inside Sport newsletterGet our free Inside Sport newsletterBottom of the ninth. Two outs. Bases loaded. The winning run is standing on third base. The pitcher winds up and throws. The batter swings and sends a high fly ball into the air. The center fielder races back, looks up at the sky and then says the sentence no baseball fan wants to hear: “I lost it in the sun.”For baseball players, seeing the ball clearly can be the difference between making a game-winning catch and watching the winning run score. That is one reason many athletes put black marks under their eyes before a game.Baseball, football and other outdoor athletes apply black stripes under their eyes because they hope it might reduce the glare from the sun or bright stadium lights. But the use of eye black comes down to tradition as much as it does science.The use of eye black comes down to tradition as much as it does science (Getty Images)As an athletic trainer and professor who studies sports medicine and performance, I spend a lot of time thinking about how details like vision, sunlight and confidence can affect the way athletes play.Can eye black really help players see better?Eye black is usually made from black grease or black stickers placed underneath the eyes. The idea is simple: Bright light from the sun or stadium lights can bounce off a player’s cheeks into their eyes. The black color absorbs some of that light instead of reflecting it, which may help reduce glare.The practice of using eye black has been around for a long time. Some stories say Babe Ruth used burned cork under his eyes. Football players may have been experimenting with it more than 100 years ago. By the mid-1900s, those black marks had become a familiar part of outdoor sports.Scientists have tested whether eye black actually works. In one study, black grease helped reduce glare a little and improved something called contrast sensitivity. That means it may help your eyes notice the difference between an object and its background, like a white baseball against a bright blue sky or a bank of stadium lights.But the research is not totally settled. Another study found that the benefit may be small and can depend on how the test is done.So eye black probably does not give players superhero vision. But in a sport where a hard-hit ball can travel more than 95 mph, even a potential tiny visual advantage can…
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2026-06-22 16:42:59
