I couldn’t find this in the archives, so I’m sorry if this has already been discussed.
What is the point of the stripe of black paint football (and some baseball) players put on their cheeks?
Whenever I ask someone, they always answer some variation of, “to reduce the glare”.
Personally, I’ve never had a problem with catching a glare or reflection off my own face. Could this really be the reason? Do some people get sun glare in their eyes off their own cheeks?
I’ve also been told it absorbs sunlight, keeping it out of a players eyes, but that would require the paint to actually bend the waves of light, in air, before they reach the face.
Is there a legitimate reason for the face paint, or is it “they do it ‘cause they’ve always done it”.