# Super Bowl eye black question **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 7, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470 "2011-02-07T01:08:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/1 "2011-02-07T01:08:14Z")
Why only on one side, for several players? And is it helpful in the evenly lighted dome? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/2 "2011-02-07T14:55:45Z")
Bump for the weekday crowd. I noticed this near the start of the game. There were a number of players who had eye black under only one eye, some on the right, some on the left. There were also some who had a normal application under one eye and a half-hearted weak smear under the other. I can’t make sense of it. I also started wondering if the eye black did any good in the lighting conditions in the dome. Anybody know? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/3 "2011-02-07T16:25:57Z")
Moving to the Game Room. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/4 "2011-02-07T16:44:43Z")
I’m guessing that at a certain point, it becomes more of a “war paint” type of tradition. There is some evidence that it might be useful in sunlight. [http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/db/sports/baseball-eye-black-cuts-out-glare.html](http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/mythbusters/db/sports/baseball-eye-black-cuts-out-glare.html) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/5 "2011-02-07T16:51:45Z")
Maybe because they play a certain side of the field, and are always going to be looking over one shoulder rather than the other? ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/6 "2011-02-07T16:54:57Z")
It’s purely a fashion statement. Don’t think about it too much. ---
**Author:** ![Snake\_Plissken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@Snake\_Plissken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snake_Plissken)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-bowl-eye-black-question/570470/7 "2011-02-08T02:23:58Z")
I started to use it playing outside in bright sun. I also used it in domes, but it was more a superstition thing. The locker room kid would come by with it and I always had it applied. It was part of my gameday routine, and was always bothered by the slightest deviation in my routine.