Does a Visor Help in Football?

Football visors have been a part of the game for over 30 years, and with the increased focus on player safety, they have become more popular in professional as well as college level and high school games. The visor is designed to be attached to any standard football face mask and used for a variety of reasons. With the ever-growing speed and violence of the modern game, the technology behind the visors has also evolved.

Instructions

    • 1

      Protecting the eyes and face is the primary objective behind the visor. It shields from any injuries that can be sustained during game play, preventing abrasions to the eye or a broken nose. They are also utilized for protection after an injury has occurred either because a player wasn't wearing a visor beforehand or the player has suffered an injury, such as a broken orbital bone or cheekbone, despite wearing all of the protective padding in his helmet. The visors can also prevent players grabbing the face mask since there are less places to get the fingers around a crossbar.

    • 2

      Wearing a visor can also help reduce glare from the sun or the bright lights of a night game. Visors can be clear or tinted to perform the same function of a pair of sunglasses. Some players prefer tinted visors because they feel it puts them at a strategic advantage since the opponent can't see which way their eyes are looking. The tinted visors became particularly popular with college athletes but were prohibited by NCAA rules in 2007 in the interests of fair play and only clear visors are permitted.

    • 3

      Selecting not to use a visor has many supporters in the game. Some players don't like the visors as they feel it actually hinders their vision during game play, especially games played in severe weather conditions. Not only can they get grimy, but visors can fog up and when there's rain or snow, the wetness can cause a loss of vision and that's a liability in the middle of a crucial third down.