The arena of sport is traditionally seen as a place where men can act like men, and every teammate’s greatest fear is being called “girly.” However, a goal or a win can send even the most macho of players into a hugging frenzy with their teammates.

“There’s some head rubbing that goes on, there’s some hand slapping, some butt tapping. Generally there’s a lot of hugging — one big hug,” Patrick Johnston, libero on the Mustangs men’s volleyball team, said. “I’d say it just kind of happens all the time.”

“You want to make sure that even in the bad points you get together as a team,” Jim Sage, coach of the team, said “We like to celebrate and it’s important we celebrate.”

Part of this is the strong friendships men make on the court, according to Like Family: Power, Intimacy and Sexuality in Male Athlete’s Friendships by Michael A. Messner. “[Teams] are often the closest relationships that men ever have,” he writes.

“We’re all best friends, so it kind of helps we’re not too worried about what other people think,” Johnston said of the affection on the court.

According to Hegemonic Masculinity, Friendship, and Group Formation in an Athletic Subculture by Steven J. Harvey, these relationships are built because of the shared activities sport creates,

“Through their mutual experiences in sport, the male relationship develops a deep connection that is based not on shared interpersonal communication, but on shared emotional experiences,” Harvey explained. The shared emotions and activities in sport allow for men on sports teams to create intimate emotional bonds.

“I guess you’re always just on the court with everyone all the time […] you’re just with your guys more,” Matt Gibson, setter on the team said. “It gets you closer I think, and […] as you get closer I think you get more comfortable with your teammates and you rely on them, It brings a team closer together so I think we play better.”

Gibson was not the only player who felt the affection made them closer as a team, and made them play better. “It really contributes to the overall group cohesion,” Luke Sim, middle hitter, said.

Harvey’s work argued the cohesion came from the wins. “When a team wins and all of the players feel the same way, the team becomes closer as a result,” he states.

“The public face that a team attempts to present to the rest of the world is that of a ‘family’ whose shared goal of winning games and championships bonds individual members together,” Messner said of the cohesion on sports teams.

Messner points out however these teams can also have a dark side. “Underneath the talk of respect, love and closeness among teammates lies another reality: athletic teams, like families are also characterized by internal antagonisms rooted in hierarchy.” Teammates are both in competition with another team, but also in competition with each other for titles and points.

Eric Simon, an outside hitter for the Mustangs, explained the how this manifests itself on the team “Generally whoever messed up is not allowed in the group hug, it’s just kind of how it happens. It’s not really a rule, but kind of like an unwritten rule.”

“I guess you just embrace them in the heat of the moment,” Gibson said. He also explained there was not a need to remind teammates the intentions of the hug. “Usually it means good job though.”

Even though there is a lot of good natured hugging on the court, there is a minor rule, as Ulla-Britt Lilleaas’ article Masculinities, Sport, and Emotions explained.

“They can also hold and touch other men’s bodies, but there are also some restrictions for how and what feelings the men can express in matches. For instance, two men kissing on the mouth breaks an unwritten rule,” her work said.

“If it’s a big point maybe a little cheek kiss […] whatever the heat of the moment brings,” Johnston said of the affection on the court. He also explained that while this behaviour can be “downtown or wherever” off the court, it stays between the teammates.

The players feel the affection is an important part of being on the team and a part of volleyball.

“People aren’t […] discriminated against for not being as affectionate as others, but it’s kind of better if you are,” Sim said.

“It’s my fourth year and I’ve yet to have somebody not hug” Johnston said. “I’ve played every sport growing up and there’s nothing like this.”