Fitness Apie
Athletes Who Use Sports Sunglasses During Competitions

Do you think physical injuries are the only casualties athletes experience during their careers?

A survey conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Maui Jim reveals that only 24% of people know that playing sports can actually affect their eye health.

As most sports are usually played under the sun, athletes put themselves at risk for vision damage if they don’t use anything to protect their eyes.

As such, athletes try to maintain their eye health and improve their visual clarity by wearing sunglasses during their training and competitions.

Also, sunglasses can make you look good, and looking good makes you feel confident.

That’s why high-quality sunglasses are a staple for top athletes from various sports, such as the following icons:

Surfer Lakey Peterson

Lakey Peterson is a legendary athlete when it comes to surfing. She ranked at the top of the World Surf League and even landed the first-ever aerial in the NSSA women’s competition history in 2009.

It’s difficult to achieve these feats, especially since surfers are in extreme conditions.

To protect her eyes from the sun, Lakey Peterson uses Blenders Eyewear popular sunglasses among surfers during competitions.

These sunglasses were developed by a surf coach who eventually became an entrepreneur, which is why the shades are easy to wear even when you’re riding waves.

Peterson even designed a style for the brand and chose to provide high-quality acetate elevate design and polarized lenses for her signature “Lakey Beach” sunglasses.

Football Quarterback Patrick Mahomes

Patrick Mahomes, the American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, is currently proving to be one of the top athletes in his sport.

Jackson was the Most Valuable Player back in 2018, and again in 2022, and is a two-time Super Bowl winner.

American football can be a very physical sport, which is why Mahomes protects his head and eyes during competitions through skull caps and visors.

Of course, he can’t wear sunglasses whilst playing, but he still protects his eyes off the pitch.

Mahomes prefers to use sports sunglasses from Oakley, a well-known brand renowned for designs that can be worn while competing in golf, cycling, and even the NFL.

Indeed, Mahomes is an ambassador for the brand and has released two of his own unique designs known as the BXTR and Resistor.

INEOS Grenadiers Cycling Team

The INEOS Grenadiers is a British cycling team that has reached the UCI WorldTeam level.

The team was launched because of the members’ goal of having a British Tour de France winner, a dream which they achieved in 2012 through Bradley Wiggins.

For the UCI WorldTour in 2023, the INEOS Grenadiers decided to use high-performance sunglasses from SunGod Pace Series for their competition.

This eyewear collection garnered awards due to the brand’s signature 8KO lens technology, which is lightweight thanks to its 2mm nylon-based lens material.

These sunglasses are also available in Iris photochromic lenses that enable maximum optical clarity, regardless of the conditions.

MLB Third Baseman Justin Turner

Boston Red Sox’s Justin Turner was the Most Valuable Player during the National League Championship Series in 2017. The talented third baseman also earned an All-Star in 2017 and also in 2021.

Though many things have changed in his career, one thing that remains constant is Turner’s use of Kaenon sunglasses in the field.

Turner has been wearing Kaenon eyewear since he was with the Dodgers, which proves his loyalty to the brand.

He prefers to use the brand’s SR-91 Ultra lens sunglasses during games because of their lightweight material and extreme durability.

The sunglass style also has superior color separation features, which can be advantageous when Turner is tracing a baseball mid-game.

Beach Volleyball Star Kerri Walsh Jennings

Kerri Walsh Jennings, known as Six Feet of Sunshine, is a three-time Olympic gold medal winner and has won 135 international and domestic tournaments during her career, making her one of the most successful stars ever in the sport.

Naturally, sunglasses and the beach go hand-in-hand, so it’s little surprise to see that she wore sunglasses during competition.

Jennings didn’t just wear sunglasses for protection; she gained a competitive edge using her Oakley PRIZM Field lenses.

They create a stronger contrast between certain colors, such as white and blue, which helps her see the ball when it is high in the sun-soaked sky.

Indeed, Jennings became synonymous with Oakley sunglasses during her career and was rarely seen on a volleyball court without a pair.

In London 2012, she wore Oakley glasses similar to the Oakley Quarter Jacket, whilst at Rio, she wore the Oakley EVZero Path with PRIZM Stadium lenses.

Golfer Phil Mickelson

There are multiple reasons why golfers do not wear sunglasses – they can distort a player’s view of the course, especially when putting.

Depth and angles are hugely important when sizing up putts, and polarized lenses or not, few golfers will be seen in sunglasses when stepping up to make a big putt.

One player who does wear glasses is Phil Mickelson. He is a six-time Major winner, and in 2021 became the oldest Major winner when he took the PGA Championship.

He’s a player many look up to, and if they look at him on the course these days, he’s often wearing sunglasses.

These are not a standard off-the-shelf brand, though – he was seen sporting the Uswing BD005 model in May 2023, and they’re for much more than UV protection.

They actually add light in dull conditions, which is why he was seen wearing them in the rain!

They are designed to help players to read greens and protect from wind and rain. In fact, Mickelson first encountered the glasses whilst arguing with Chinese amateur Warren Fong about a putt.

Fong was wearing the glasses, Mickelson was not, and Mickelson was sold when the single-handicap player sunk the putt.

These athletes wear sunglasses to protect their eyes and their face during rough competitions. However, these top athletes also prefer models that offer advantageous features for their sport.

Athletes Who Use Sports Sunglasses During Competitions
James Gross