Penetrating Questions | How having sex could improve your game

Jina Ashline Columnist

Is it bad to have sex before a sports game? My boyfriend refuses to have sex the day before a game because his coach says he won’t perform as well, but I don’t think it could be bad!
—Frustrated Before Game Day

Dear Frustrated,
Unfortunately, there is no straight answer to help you with this. In 77 CE, Pliny the Elder, a Roman naturalist, author and military commander, wrote, “Athletes when sluggish are revitalized by lovemaking.” While that should have settled it, the debate goes on.

Coaches in a variety of sports tell their players that sex or masturbation less than 24-hours before a game is forbidden for fear that it will deplete energy. Athletes throughout history, such as Muhammad Ali, have put their faith in this theory. It is reported that Ali wouldn’t have sex for six weeks before a fight!

According to John Bancroft, the former director of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, there is no proof that this is true. Scientists have conducted research to examine the issue through testing athletes on treadmills 12 hours before and after sex. These studies have shown that there is no decline in physical performance, strength or the capacity to utilize oxygen.

There also appears to be no effect on grip, balance, lateral movement, reaction time or aerobic power.

Scientists have discredited the belief that sex the night before competition can weaken muscles. Sex is usually not a very demanding exercise and doesn’t burn many calories. Studies have shown that, on average, heart rate and oxygen consumption do not rise higher during sex than levels reached during light exercise, such as walking.

In fact, studies report that sex can help relieve muscle pain or other sports-related injuries in women. Sexual stimulation in women is known to produce a powerful pain-blocking effect, which, for chronic and muscle pain, can last for up to a day.

Some coaches encourage abstinence to make sure athletes get enough sleep in order to perform at an optimal level of alertness. Casey Stengel, former manager of the New York Yankees, said, “It’s not the sex that wrecks these guys; it’s staying up all night looking for it.”

Feeling too much anxiety or aggression the night before a game may result in poor performance, but there is no clear answer on whether sex causes these feelings.

While athletes shouldn’t stay up looking for sex or worry about the lack of it, actually having sex may offer a relaxing distraction the night before a game because, specifically for males, orgasm is known to induce a state of calm and relaxation. It is hard to say how long this effect lasts or what causes it, but there is no reason to think that it would last until the next day and impact performance or that it is a result of physical exhaustion.

Whether or not to have sex is really up to individual preferences, but maintaining consistency is important. As a rule, an athlete shouldn’t try a new nighttime routine before a big game if they haven’t tried it before. If an athlete is already relaxed or has little interest in sex before a big competition, then, male or female, the main thing they need is a good night’s rest. Do what’s right for you and your partner, and wish him luck at the game for me!

—Jiná Ashline ’08 is a religion major with a women’s studies correlate. She is also president of C.H.O.I.C.E. Each week she will answer a question about sex and sexuality. Send your questions to jiashline@vassar.edu or by dropping a note in Box 2172.