Among sports rituals that have been debated for centuries, pre-game sex stands the test of time. From the first ever athletes to modern Olympians, athletes have pondered the effects of sex before competition: does it build confidence and calm, or leave players distracted and drained? Dating back to the ancient Greeks, athletes would abstain from having sex before matches because their semen was a symbol of strength. For every legend who swore by pre-game celibacy, there’s a modern athlete advocating for sex’s benefits.
Ask any sports psychologist, and they’ll tell you that managing pre-game nerves is crucial. There is no elite athlete on this earth who can perform at the highest level if their head is not in the game. Additionally, studies have found that having consistent sex is linked to better memory, which can be crucial in the heaves of competition. Oxytocin and endorphins, hormones that can help relieve feelings of stress and anxiety, are released while having sex and can leave some athletes in a blissful calm that translates to better performance.
For pre-match preparation, it is difficult to overstate the benefits of being calm and collected, and not letting your anxiety and outside pressures impact your performance. Athletes thrive on confidence; some swear that pre-game intimacy provides that extra edge. Famously, elite soccer player Ronaldinho Gaúcho spoke about having sex before every match he played while at FC Barcelona, saying that it helped him feel happier before he entered the field. Former NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocino often played football games while taking Viagra because the increased blood flow made him feel “ten times faster.”
The effects of sex are not simply about increased confidence or pleasure. Sex often has the ability to improve your sleep thanks to the natural cocktail of hormones that are released after sex. These hormones can improve one’s sleep and increase restorative rest. Everybody knows that for athletes, quality sleep is as essential as practice or diet. A restful night sets them up for game-day focus, leaving them ready to perform at their peak. Not everyone is like Johnny Manzel and can play elite college football after being out until 2 a.m. the previous night. For many athletes, being in bed early and sleeping well is paramount to peak performance.
However, traditional wisdom holds that physical activity pre-game is risky, as it exhausts precious energy. To some athletes, sex feels like a waste of stamina, and they’d rather channel every ounce of their energy toward the game. This “energy drain” myth has been debunked, but some still insist that holding back allows them to feel more explosive when it counts. After all, why chance it when every bit of strength matters? This sentiment is especially true in combat sports, where certain athletes swear to be celibate for a month before intense matches. Most famously, Muhammed Ali was known to be celibate for roughly six weeks leading up to a boxing match.
Additionally, athletes aren’t immune to distraction; intimacy right before a game shifts focus away from performance. Famously from the 1976 film Rocky, Rocky’s coach stated that “women weaken legs.” Athletes known for intense focus and long-lasting strength can find issues with having sex with women before matches. A distracting text or thought can be the difference between a championship moment and a missed opportunity. Pre-game abstinence is a superstition that stretches back centuries, and breaking a ritual—especially one ingrained by legends like Muhammed Ali—can sow doubt.
Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether sex is helpful or harmful before a game. For every abstainer, there’s an athlete who finds pre-game sex to be just what they need to relax, focus, and feel their best. Some even need it to perform their best. What’s clear is that mindset plays the biggest role: confidence, focus, and calm are the real performance enhancers.
So, should athletes score before the game? It all comes down to what makes them feel like they’ve already won. Whether it’s abstinence or some pre-game action, the key to success lies in doing whatever gets them in the zone. After all, game-day performance is as much mental as it is physical, and the best routines are the ones that work—even if they don’t follow the traditional playbook.
Having sex before sports matches seems like a good idea—if you can do so without any stress or strings attached.