Hi horny readers! Thank you so, so much for reading ADULT SEX ED, a newsletter about the stories behind our sexual beliefs—where they came from, who invented them, and why they stuck.
I’m Dani Faith Leonard, a filmmaker, writer, and performer. A while back, I started to ask myself a question: why do we think what we think about sex? Expect investigative articles, weird sex history, and sharp humor, delivered to your inbox every week. Ready to plug the holes in your education? Okay, let’s go!
The World Cup is incredibly horny. It’s the international mingling, alcohol-fueled celebrations, and the intense emotional adrenaline. Coinciding with the Knicks winning the championship, New York City is sizzling. During the 2018 World Cup, research shared by Tinder showed that users enjoyed a crazy 66% spike in matches.
My own horny World Cup experience was in Madrid in 2010, where I happened to be working on a film that summer. When Spain won the World Cup, I was swept out of a bar onto the cobblestone streets. Police officers rolled out kegs of sangria, and cups suddenly materialized. At some point, I lost my shoes. I think I streaked across a field? Strangers were making out at every turn, and I’m sure a lot of babies were conceived that night. According to this study, the birth rate 9 months later proves it.
What if I told you there’s actually a sex ed and soccer overlap too? According to most people around the world, their school’s sex ed was inadequate. But what about taking sex ed out of the classroom? If we learned sex ed outside the classroom, it probably meant we were in the gymnasium learning about diseases from the high school wrestling coach. But in some countries, alternative sex ed programs are being created out of creativity or necessity.
Have you ever asked what sex ed lessons from Ted Lasso would be like? In countries across Africa and in Haiti, organizations are using soccer to bridge the education gap. One of these organizations, Grassroot Soccer, essentially uses soccer as the delivery mechanism for sex education and adolescent health programming. Instead of putting teenagers in a classroom and lecturing them about HIV, consent, or reproductive health, they teach these topics through games, drills (hehe), and coaching relationships built around soccer.
Why does it work? Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world, particularly in many of the countries where Grassroot Soccer works. Young people are eager to participate, and coaches often hold celebrity or mentor status in their communities. The organization leverages that enthusiasm to get young people talking about subjects that can otherwise feel uncomfortable or stigmatized. For example, a passing drill might become a conversation about communication and trust, while teamwork exercises can open discussions about relationships and peer pressure. Other games teach HIV prevention, puberty and reproductive health, gender norms and power dynamics, and how to seek help when needed.
If only there was an announcer to shout, “¡Gooooooooooool!”
Sports aren’t just about competition, tailgating, getting shitfaced, and getting kicked out of MetLife Stadium for taking your shirt off. They’re one of society’s most effective delivery systems for teaching values, identity, relationships, and, in this case, even sex education.
I have to go finish watching the Argentina match. Congrats to Messi on the hat trick.
For centuries, women have been sold products they never needed. On June 30th at 12pm ET, I’m going live on Substack with Danielle Bezalel from the popular podcast Sex Ed with DB to co-host The Invention of “Female Problems.” We’re going to dive into some weird history and we’d love to have you there.
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