Sex and Euro 2020: Should England, Scotland & Wales be up for the cup… or hold fire to boost performance ON the pitch?
CAN England go all the way without going all the way?
The Three Lions’ WAGs and families are banned from the team hotel for the Euros due to Covid-19 squad bubbles.
Boss Gareth Southgate hopes players can have a ‘little bit of home time’ but it still exposes the question of whether abstaining from sex is good or bad for sportspeople before games.
In other words, would England be better off as the Sex–Free Lions?
Or would Southgate‘s up-and-coming players have more chance of putting to bed 55 years without a major trophy if private cuddles were added to public huddles?
Scientific evidence suggests sex is no physical impairment for sporting performance soon afterwards – and in fact could be beneficial.
That’s as long as the players still sleep properly… and if their keep-it-uppies exclude extreme extra-time and ‘penalties’.
Contrary to what many believe, sex boosts the male body’s production of testosterone – rather than dulling natural instincts.
So it actually increases aggression – possibly giving you a competitive edge.
The Sun’s sex expert Dr Pam Spurr has pointed out that ‘research shows that at the physical level, sex isn’t actually that draining’.
But unfortunately, coronavirus restrictions mean it’s a different ball-game this time around.
Nonetheless, Dr Spurr believes the England, Scotland and Wales stars – as well as their rivals – should not suffer from being away from their partners.
That’s because players’ experience with club ‘bubbles’ during lockdowns means they already used to restrictions.
She said: “It’s a fact of pandemic-life that couples have actually become used to how the pandemic affects them being with or without each other – depending on their occupation – and having to potentially live in a work-place bubble as the players will be.
“If this was very early on in the pandemic I think it’d be more stressful but couples have come to manage some of the stresses of these situations better at this point.”
Former Brazil, Barcelona and Real Madrid striker Ronaldo, twice a World Cup winner, famously claimed sex before games ‘helps you concentrate’.
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He told Brazilian TV in 2011: “I have had sex several times before some games.
“I have noticed that in some games, I played better because I had sex before them.”
But at the previous year’s World Cup in South Africa ex-England manager Fabio Capello only allowed his squad’s WAGs to visit the team camp for a limited time – AFTER matches.
Sadly, the Three Lions got a good stuffing on the pitch – as Germany walloped them 4-1 in the round of 16.
Nowadays, the thinking on sex and sport is more rounded – with WAGs like Rebekah Vardy amongst the high-profile advocates for extended pre-match warm-ups.
Amid England’s run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, striker Jamie’s wife Rebekah suggested manager Southgate had the correct, liberal attitude.
She said: “He’s got the right idea of the team mentality…
“There’s nothing scientifically proven to say that sex hinders performance. If anything it probably excels performance.”
The 2021 title-winner with Inter Milan told L’Equipe: “During spells of matches the players should not have sexual relations that last for long periods.
“They need to make as little effort as possible. The best position for them is if their partners go on top.
“And it is preferable that they are with their own wives. That way they are not obliged to put in an exceptional performance.”
The model and agent has claimed the couple can have sex up to 12 times some days.
She added: “He should try it before a match, but Mauro is very professional and does not do anything before a match.
“Only after and if the match went well. If it does not go well, he does not even want to look at me.”
So what DO the experts say?
After three months without sex, not uncommon for some athletes, testosterone dramatically drops close to children’s levels.
Professor Emmanuele Jannini
Ian Shrier, a sports medicine specialist at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, believes sex could be a “releaxing distraction” if “athletes are too anxious and restless the night before an event”.
He said it was a ‘long-standing myth that athletes should practice abstinence before important competitions’.
And endocrinology professor Emmanuele Jannini, of the University of L’Aquila in Italy, pointed out that ejaculation for men stimulates testosterone production – making them more aggressive.
Jannini, who studies bodily secretions, said: “After three months without sex, which is not so uncommon for some athletes, testosterone dramatically drops to levels close to children’s levels.
“Do you think this may be useful for a boxer?”
And a 2016 study published in Frontiers in Physiology found no connection between having sex and athletic performance.
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Indeed, numerous therapists say sex in the right emotional context is generally a major part of greater well-being and fulfilment, including boosting self-esteem.
So, what about intimate encounters as an incentive to raise your game?
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He and his team flopped as they finished bottom of Group B, with Wales nailing them 3-0.
It’s hardly conclusive evidence.
But there was certainly no Russian bare for Kokorin afterwards – indeed his career went downhill with an ACL injury and even time spent in a penal colony for assault.
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