Why do men become so affectionate during football?

[TERFCat]

I've been following the Euros. The scenes when England scored last minute are brilliant. I love seeing people so happy, kissing and hugging each other.

However, I do think that the kind of people who get overly affectionate when their team score are the same people who are usually not very affectionate at all. For example, the kind of man who won't hug his own son is the same man who will kiss a total stranger during the Euros. Why is this?

What is it about football that strips away toxic masculinity and so on?

On the flip side, domestic violence increases when ‘their’ team loses.

Yes, that is a morbid point that perhaps relates to the wider psychology here.

Oh that was just what I was going to say. I was listening to the statistics regarding the increase in Domestic Violence during the Euros and it makes your blood run cold.
And the frightening thing is it increases even when the guy isn't even a supporter of the team in question. Factors such as betting are involved in this. But the spike in the violence when the England team play is just horrible. The police having to go round women known to be at risk, issue alarms etc just because of a " game".
And I'm a football fan : a fan of lower league football and grassroots football though, not top flight. And admittedly supporter of the Scotland team.

I'm not keen on all the male bonding kissing and hugging during matches actually. Their bonding seems to bode ill for other people.

It’s one of the few places it’s ok for them to show emotion. Where they don’t get disapproval for it.

I've also wondered this too. These are grown men who would cry when their team loses but also not shed a single tear at a genuinely tragic real life event e.g. death, suffering etc.

Personally, I think it's pack mentality and a need to conform with peers. It's overreaaction for sure, a primal aggression or elation depending on the result.