Anyone who’s been a high school athlete - or even known a high school athlete - is familiar with the "no sex before a game" rule. It has long been thought that giving in to the demands of an insistently erect penis has a negative impact on a player’s performance - during the big game, that is. But does this old coach’s tale have any basis in reality, or is this a penis care myth that future athletes need not ever encounter?

Just Say No

To be fair, part of the reason that athletes - professional as well as high school - have been told to say no to their erect penis before a game or event doesn’t really have to do with sex. They’re really being encouraged to spend the night (or week or month) before the game in a way that is going to enhance their physicality. That means relaxing and getting to sleep early rather than going out on the town, drinking, getting little rest or getting into a fight with a girlfriend (as often happens). In other words, it’s about keeping the physical and mental state fit rather than fraught.

But there also is a big component of it that really is about sex, stemming from a belief that engaging in sex too close to a game will drain vital energies and juices from a man. (And it’s a belief that goes back at least to 444 BC, by the way.)

Release

Why should this be? Because of an old belief that a man’s sperm contains a significant portion of his male energy, and when sperm is depleted, a man simply has less energy. So the issue isn’t a man being tired from the energy expended on the sex act itself, or from staying up late to engage in sex - it stems from the actual release of sperm.

It’s easy to see why a person might come to this conclusion. After all, most men do indeed feel drowsy after sex. But that’s not because all their male energy has left the body in their ejaculate; it’s because post-sex, the body releases hormones that make it feel relaxed.

Evidence

In recent times, scientists have spent a little time studying this question - and to no one’s surprise, they don’t believe abstaining from sex before a game hurts a guy on the field. As a matter of fact, many studies indicate there may be a benefit to engaging in sex prior to a game. (That may explain why some 450,000 condoms were distributed to athletes before the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. That, by the way, is about 42 condoms per athlete.)

Claims that sex makes a man weak were disputed by a study that measured men’s strength both before and after sex. Moreover, engaging in sex tends to boost a man’s testosterone, which can come in handy during sports, especially the more aggressive ones. And sex is typically associated with less anxiety and worry, factors which can negatively impact an athlete when in competition. Lessening mental fatigue has a positive effect on physical performance.

Every athlete is an individual, of course, so deciding whether to accommodate an erect penis the night before a game is an individual choice. But whatever his decision, he wants to regularly apply a first rate penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) to maintain that penis in the health department. Rough sports sometimes can produce penile soreness, so using a crème with soothing moisturizers, such as Shea butter and vitamin E, can be ideal. It also helps if the crème contains acetyl L carnitine, a neuroprotective ingredient that can help protect against peripheral nerve damage. A penis that gets slammed too much may benefit from healing the damaged nerves that can lead to a loss of penis sensitivity.