Citation

Segrave JO. Violence Against Women 2002; 8(1): 116-146.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10778010222182964

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The notion that sex before a contest impedes male athletic performance has exercised a remarkably strong hold over the popular imagination and has secured a hallowed place within the lore of the sporting fraternity. The purpose of this article is to deconstruct the pregame sex myth, revealing that the various ontological layers by which the myth is constituted relate to men's deepest fears of physical and personal enervation. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, the article argues that the pregame sex myth represents a formidable form of antifeminine thinking derived from masculine insecurities that resonate across time and that are easily translated into denigrating actions and attitudes toward women.