# Why do football (soccer) player spit so much? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912 "2002-03-24T23:21:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/1 "2002-03-24T23:21:24Z")
Why you watch a game on TV they’re always spitting. Why??? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2002, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/2 "2002-03-24T23:36:36Z")
I guess baseball players aren’t alone then in their love of expectoration. American football players spit a lot also, but they do it on the sidelines after they take their helmets off. Hockey players spit a lot too. Basketball players don’t because it’s not good to spit on the hardwood. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/3 "2002-03-25T00:00:26Z")
So why do they do it? Is it good to spit during excersise? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/4 "2002-03-25T00:22:16Z")
They spit because they can do it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/5 "2002-03-25T00:58:30Z")
This is just a WAG based on my experience in these sports. If you play hard and long, you’ll be breathing hard and fast irritatating your windpipe. this seems to generate mucous in the throat to counteract the irritation. Basketball players continually swallow the excess, but that is not the prefered method of elimination. Baseball players have no excuse however. ---
**Author:** ![Niobium\_Knight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Niobium\_Knight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niobium_Knight)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/6 "2002-03-25T01:19:32Z")
Not sure I buy that theory. i have taken part in lots of sports like that in my time, and never felt the urge to spit, no mattle how heavy i’ve been breathing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/7 "2002-03-25T02:19:11Z")
Many baseball players chew tobacco, which causes them to salivate. I don’t know about footballers, though. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/8 "2002-03-25T02:51:36Z")
Contrary to **Niobium Knight** , I often feel the need to spit during exercise. Perhaps it’s because I tend to breathe through my mouth when I’m working hard. ---
**Author:** ![cleops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@cleops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cleops)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/9 "2002-03-25T03:02:59Z")
oguem’s explanation seems to make the most sense. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/10 "2002-03-25T03:58:06Z")
I’m doubting there is a “factual” answer to this. And with apologies to the OP, because of the level of a few of the answers, I’m closing this. Oguem, you’re not starting off on a good foot, here. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2002, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-football-soccer-player-spit-so-much/99912/11 "2002-03-25T03:59:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cleops \* > \*\*oguem’s explanation seems to make the most sense. \*\* And we removed that post because it was too damn ugly to let it stay here. We can do the same for you if you like, bad behavior won’t be tolerated. your humble TubaDiva Administrator