Touched the butt: Why athletes tap each other’s tush

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A touch. A little slap. A hand resting on the top shelf.

No matter what sport you watch, men’s or women’s, they all have one thing in common — teammates touching each other’s butts.

Volleyball girls in a huddle? Hands resting on the rump. Baseball player strikes out? Slap on the cheeks on the way back to the dugout. Basketball player falls? Teammates help them up with an added touch of the back end.

You don’t see teammates giving each other long and firm handshakes during a game because that takes too long. Instead, they do a quick action like hitting a player’s glutes, a high five or pat on the back.

The chemistry between these players is so high that physical touch turns into a way…