A big question that is going around in sports is, “Why do we think sexual relationships affect an athlete’s performance?”  I believe that sex does affect performance whether good or bad. As an athlete your performance can be affected one of two ways; positively or negatively.   Someone that is having sexual relations deals with many more things than just from a physical aspect, but a mental standpoint as well. As a player, you need something that is going to help you get your mind right.  A lot of players have pre-game rituals, such as eating a certain food, praying, and staying away from alcohol and other drugs (Fischer, 1997).   Many athletes even use sex as a ritual.  There are many people who disagree with this research, but this research is shown.  Coaches would like for athletes to abstain from sex but it is proven to build power for athletes.  Scientific test have been done and proven that one becomes stronger after a sexual relation.  The day before the game coach would always preach, “Give your legs a rest and do not go see your girlfriend.” Never understood why coach always beat this into our heads until I experienced it for myself.  At one point I realized I did not have that spark in the game like I usually did.  So just to see if it was true that sexual relations before games made you weaker I had to do another test trial.  After the next trial I had the opposite effect, I became more powerful and had the spark. So another question I asked myself is, “Is this my mind playing tricks on me or is this really how our body works?”  I have talked to many athletes and everyone has their own experiences with sexual relations. This research is done on behalf of all the athletes around the world, who have the same concerns as I do about this topic. 

Athletes endure a plethora of things thrown their way, whether its injuries, stress, responsibility, etc.  To be an athlete you have to have a unique set of characteristics or qualities.  None of these qualities include physical attributes, it is all mental.  One of the most important qualities you have to have is time management.  To be an athlete you have to do well enough in school to stay on the team and participate, without any consequences.  What is meant when the word consequences come up is suspension, extra running, or probation.  Another quality you have to bring to the table is the ability leave all outside drama off the playing field. When you step on your playing field it is all business.  Coming into a sport you have to have a clear and strong mindset and ready to focus on your athletic job.  Coaches tell players every day to leave all the drama outside and leave everything else on the field. Athletes have to have a clear mind in any situation; there is no telling what could happen.  If you are a football player, drifting off thinking about something can get you blindsided.  Same goes for a boxer because you could get hit with a punch that could knock you out if your mind is cloudy.  Those are just a few situations that you should have a clear head to be able to perform to the best of your ability.  As you see for an athlete, not only is the game physical, but also mental.  Athletes need a strong clear mind to perform to the best of their abilities.  

As an athlete, or any person, you sometimes began to wonder how you are affected after a sexual encounter.  Studies show that you are not only affected physically, but also mentally. Looking into this point you see an extensive variety of reasons that it influences competitors, however something that continually got my attention was the researcher discussing intellectual personality. Some person that is having sexual relations deals with several of things than just from a physical point of view. One thing that surveys show is the effect on the average prefrontal cortex (mPFC). The medial prefrontal cortex is vital for subjective adaptability, an ability that is influenced by natural conditions and particular encounters (Glasper et al., 2015). At the end of the day, mPFC oversees memory or essential administration.  This is an imperative key to performing on the field, at the heat of the moment. You need smart fundamental leadership abilities, especially as a quarterback, to perceive a cautious plan or to run a two-minute offense toward the complete of a nail biter.  Like it was stated before, sex enhances cognitive flexibility but it also enhances dendritic spine density in the medial prefrontal cortex (Glasper et al., 2015). Dendritic spines serve as a storage site for synaptic strength and help transmit electrical signals to the neuron's cell body.  This helps the neurons get to the mPFC.  One thing that depletes the number of dendritic spines is chronic stress.  Chronic stress diminishes performance of cognitive flexibility (Glasper et al., 2015). Chronic stress is the response to emotional pressure suffered for a prolonged period over which an individual perceives he or she has no control.  The possibility of appearance can cause stress because we self-evaluate ourselves when we have sexual intercourse.  Non-erotic cognitive distractions is a descriptive term for both self-evaluative cognitions related to physical performance and body image concerns, as well as additional cognitive distractions during sexual activity (Lacefield & Negy. 2011).  Everyone has stressed about their appearance or non-erotic distractions once. We all know that sexual intercourse reduces stress.  So having sex can help reduce stress, along with help your cognitive flexibility, ultimately leading to better performance. 

Some people would argue that sex affects male athletes performance positively only and not the female athletes.  This is not a true assumption.  According to FSN Sports Science, it is proven that both women and men performances are affected positively after intercourse.  They ran test on both male and female boxers because boxers use their legs more than any other sport.  Running through a series of test it was proven that both male and female athletes increased in each of their test.  The big concern of that test study was the time frame in where the athlete was tested.  Within a reasonable time frame the test were separated with a 4 hour time frame, where the couple engaged in intercourse. People might try to argue that the athlete could have performed lower so that they could prove the myth wrong, but blood tests do not lie.  They test each athlete before and after showing that the female athlete had a 30 percent increase and the male had over a 20 percent increase.  “MMA fighter Ronda Rousey -- holder of a 12-1 UFC record -- told Showtime's Jim Rome in 2012 that she tries to have "as much sex as possible" before a fight since it has been linked to higher testosterone levels in women” (Howard, CNN).  Rousey is one of the most feared UFC women fighters. Clearly something must be true to this. Noticing that her statement was made two to three years after that episode of Sports Science was aired.   “Sex not only boost performance in short term, but in the long haul it helps build strength and recovery time” (Brenkus, Sports Science).  Both male and female athletes proved the myth that coaches beat into players’ mind 24/7 wrong and it continues to just be a myth.  Understanding that testosterone depletion plays a key role in abstinence from sex is a major part of information.  Emmanuele A. Jannini of the University of L'Aquila in Italy states, "After three months without sex, which is not so uncommon for some athletes, testosterone dramatically drops to levels close to children's levels,"(Lovgren, National Geographic).  For an athlete to perform to the best of their ability, abstinence is the best route? Athletes should have sex before a game, but it they should be aware when the time is right.

Even though there are positive effects of having intercourse before a game, there are also negative aspects as well.  According to Skidmore College Scholar Jeffrey O. Segrave, it says “sexual intercourse invariably leaves a man weak and tired,” (Segrave, 2002).  As we all know, when it comes to sexual intercourse we want to relax and rest.  This is what the coaches preach to us athletes about all the time.  Sex is an exercise and just like any other exercise you will become tired the longer you work out. “In the movie, boxer Rocky Balboa's trainer, Mickey, declares that "women weaken legs," suggesting that the athlete should put romance on hold while training and competing” (Howard, CNN).   So when it came to coaches constantly preaching to us, they knew what they were talking about.  Even though with exercise the more you do the better you feel and the more you can do the next time; that does not necessarily apply to sex.  As humans we sometimes strive to outdo our last sexual encounter in order to keep that person interested.  So in saying that, you will tend to be weaker at the end.  As males, we want to be more dominant and of course being better than the other guy.  Now imagine this, a girl calls you over and says her boyfriend is “slacking” in bed. As a man, we constantly want to prove we are an alpha male.  Coming to the rescue we go and prove that we are better, forgetting the fact that we have a game that day. What is our outcome on the field?  Weakness, tired and all around poor performance.  Yes, we have proven to the girl that we are better than her last, but we are looking bad to the team and we have essentially become selfish.  Now the coaches on you about your performance and now you are benched.  Not only does this take a toll on you emotionally, but because you were not physically prepared for your game you have to overwork your body to get back at the top spot.  It is all about the choices you make and knowing the consequences.  Essentially the negatives are manageable.  It is all about time management.  You should not go and have intercourse 30 minutes before a game.  Overall somebody can burn 100 calories in a session. Obviously tests needed to help demonstrate this reality. It is said that sex qualified as “moderate exercise,” a 6-MET activity for men and 5.6-MET activity for women. That’s the equivalent, according to various estimates, of playing doubles tennis or walking uphill (Reynolds, New York Times).  Like it was said before sex is an exercise and you do not want to exercise back to back.  You physically wear your body out for the day.  If an athlete is to engage in intercourse before a game, because that is their ritual, then do it at the beginning of the day.   This is so your body has time to regenerate your energy and you are ready to go for the game.  

Someone arguing against performance being affected should read this essay.  To argue this evidence stated you would be making assumptions because the data and facts are there.  Most people counterargument would be that sex wouldn’t affect performance but sleep does. "There are lots of factors that could account for how a player performs." For instance, doing the deed can take time away from getting enough shuteye, and getting enough sleep is non-negotiable for peak performance.” (Sifferlin, Time).  I agree that this is a true statement.  Sleep is essential for not only sports, but everyday life functions.  An athlete’s body does need rest, as well, testosterone boosts to perform at its peak.  With that being said, athletes should have sex but do not be up all hours of the night looking for some. Another argument presented would be it is more of a psychological thing that sex would affect your performance, being that a coach has constantly told you it was wrong.  Dr. Metzel states in Time Magazine , "In sports, people have all kinds of theories, even if it's not medically substantiated. For instance: compression gear for speed and titanium necklaces for performance," (Sifferlin, Time).  These are types of psychological factors that someone who is counter arguing this essay would present for the public.   

Coming from an athlete, performance is positively affected from sexual relations as long as the athlete is conscientious and strategic about what they are doing.  Whether it is a pregame ritual or even just a quick session just to clear your head, the athlete should make sure that they don’t engage in athletic activities back to back.  Don’t be the athlete that does not consider giving your body that time to regenerate by engaging in intercourse 30 minutes before a game.  In order for an athlete to perform in clutch situations, a clear mind a testosterone boost and a good night’s rest.  Playing with a clear mind contributes to making quick decision and as athletes and coaches say, “make sure you are keeping your head on the swivel.”  Sex helps improve the medial prefrontal cortex, which deals with adaptability and memory.  Those qualities are essential for modifying plays on the fly and remembering film you have studied on your opponent.   With the boost of testosterone in the blood, you become a more powerful all-around athlete.  However, to get the benefits of a clear mind and increase in testosterone, the athlete needs to be done with their romantic night in a timely manner.  The body needs a good night’s rest.  If an athlete is to keep this in mind, the sky is the limit for them. 
