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Replies: 11
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Dynasty Maker [3375]
TigerPulse: 93%
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I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
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Oct 5, 2025, 8:19 PM
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Back in the 1950’s (my era) all football games were played in the day and most started at 1:00 pm. The sun was practically overhead and, should your team face the sun , we applied car grease tunder our eyes to help deflect the glare from the sun, which we got from rubbing our fingers from cars at our local , what we called “Filling Station.” Fast forward today, Practically every college, and NFL players emerged from their tunnel with their “sun defector” I expect someone to reply telling me I’m an idiot.
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Commissioner [1259]
TigerPulse: 99%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
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Oct 5, 2025, 8:21 PM
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I personally don't really know, but I have seen a few studies that show it does not really do anything.
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Game Changer [1748]
TigerPulse: 93%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
Oct 6, 2025, 7:33 AM
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Correct!
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Top TigerNet [28432]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Posts: 16782
Joined: 2018
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
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Oct 5, 2025, 8:23 PM
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“One of the earliest known instances of a player wearing eye black is baseball legend Babe Ruth, who, in or around the 1930s, used the grease in an attempt to reduce sun glare. According to Paul Lukas of ESPN.com, eye black caught on with American football player Andy Farkas.[1] He also states that the original eye black was made from the ashes of burned cork.”
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Head Coach [946]
TigerPulse: 98%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
Oct 5, 2025, 8:24 PM
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From what I understand, it doesn't provide any real benefit but (to them) it looks cool and it is sorta like a ritual of sorts.
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Valley Legend [12428]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
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Oct 5, 2025, 9:09 PM
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Well I'm 86 (87 @ end of this month). Played HS football in the 50's. I don't remember the eye black being a thing. Same with face guards. Only one or two guys I played with wore the guard and it was just a single bar across the nose, not like the full cage we see today. And it was a big deal if we had matching jerseys for the whole team.
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Rival Killer [2836]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Friend's Dad when first saw face mask couldn't believe they would put handles
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Oct 6, 2025, 12:05 AM
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on a helmet.
They really had fun with handles on opponents until a new rule made it a penalty.
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Clemson Icon [25476]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
Oct 6, 2025, 1:59 AM
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The only thing I can add is many may use it for eye protection more than for sun protection.
I use to play baseball. Many times during travel we played at fields the looked like the fans put the lights up on a Saturday afternoon as a community project 😂😂.
Playing SS sometimes a pop up or a line drive could get lost in the lights.. I lost a few in poorly placed lights at some fields.
When a WR or a DB looks up the glare from the lights can have an impact on players seeing the ball.
Some could be right to about players decking themselves out with add ons for the game.
Just my thoughts. But Sir you are certainly not an idiot. I think it was a great question
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Valley Protector [1464]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
Oct 6, 2025, 7:40 AM
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It's "war paint" more than any practical eye or glare protection. Psychological support.
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Associate AD [1050]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
Oct 6, 2025, 4:49 PM
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The Mythbusters did a segment on eyeblack and gave it a “plausible” rating. They found the glare reduction under the sun or lights to be negligible but that if worn in conjunction with a baseball cap there was a bigger and more noticeable reduction in glare. However, I think it has really become part of the ritual with many players even writing personal messages on it. Hope that helps.
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Tiger Spirit [9929]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
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Oct 6, 2025, 4:56 PM
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I understand the topic of your post, but I don't see a question. Are you asking why so many players wear it today?
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Clemson Conqueror [11910]
TigerPulse: 100%
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Re: I have a question that I have never been able to understand. I am 83 years old.
Oct 6, 2025, 7:38 PM
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Anybody else notice Cade didn’t wear any paint this weekend against the Heels?
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Replies: 11
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