Gatorade: Difference between revisions

{{short description|Manufacturer of sports-themed beveragebeverages and food products}}

|name=The Gatorade Company|image=-gatoradeGatorade logo.pngsvg

|previousowners=[[Dr. Robert Cade]]<br />Stokely-Van Camp

'''Gatorade''' is an American brand of sports-themed beverage and food products, built around its signature line of [[sports drink]]s. GatoradeThe drink is currently manufactured by [[PepsiCo]] and is distributed in over 80 countries.<ref name=factsheetGatorade>{{cite web|title=Gatorade Fact Sheet |url=http://www.pepsico.com/Download/Gatorade_Company_Fact_Sheet.pdf |publisher=PepsiCo, Inc. |access-date=January 24, 2011 |year=2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221172620/http://pepsico.com/Download/Gatorade_Company_Fact_Sheet.pdf |archive-date=December 21, 2010 }}</ref> The beverage was first developed in 1965 by a team of researchers led by [[Robert Cade|Dr. Robert Cade]]. It was originally made for the [[Florida Gators|Gators]] at the [[University of Florida]] to replenish the [[carbohydrate]]s that the school's student-athletes burned and the combination of water and [[electrolyte]]s that they lost in sweat during vigorous sports activities.

Originally created at University of Florida in 1962, then produced and marketed by [[Stokely-Van Camp]] in 1965, the Gatorade brand was purchased by the [[Quaker Oats Company]] in 1983, which, in turn, was bought by PepsiCo in 2000.<ref name="abcnews.go.com">{{Cite web|title = Gatorade ready to pump up marketing efforts|url = https://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=3929315&page=1|website = ABC News|date = 2007-11-30|access-date = 2015-10-16}}</ref> As of 2010, Gatorade is PepsiCo's fourth-largest [[brand]], on the basis of worldwide annual retail sales.<ref name=annrpt2010>{{cite web|title=2010 Annual Report |url=http://pepsico.com/annual10/downloads/PepsiCo_Annual_Report_2010_Full_Annual_Report.pdf |work=PepsiCo, Inc. |access-date=July 27, 2011 |page=16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110906155910/http://www.pepsico.com/annual10/downloads/PepsiCo_Annual_Report_2010_Full_Annual_Report.pdf |archive-date=September 6, 2011 |df=mdy }}</ref> It competes with [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]]'s [[Powerade]] and [[Vitaminwater]] brands worldwide, and with [[Lucozade]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. Within the United States, Gatorade accounts for approximately 67.7% of market share in the sports drink category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2021/03/25/Gatorade-Powerade-BodyArmor-How-PepsiCo-and-Coca-Cola-are-playing-in-the-sports-drink-category|title=Gatorade, Powerade & BodyArmor: How PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are playing in the sports drink category|website=beveragedaily.com|date=March 25, 2021 }}</ref>

==HistoryOrigin==

Gatorade was created in 1965, by a team of scientists at the [[University of Florida|University of Florida College of Medicine]], including [[Robert Cade]], [[Dana Shires]], Harry James Free, and Alejandro de Quesada.<ref name=born>{{cite web|url=http://www.gatorade.com/history/default.aspx|title=History|publisher=Gatorade|access-date=April 16, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415161147/http://www.gatorade.com/history/default.aspx|archive-date=April 15, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Following a request from [[Florida Gators football]] head coach [[Ray Graves]], Gatorade was created to help athletes by acting as a replacement for body fluids lost during physical exertion. TheLike many of the sports drinks that pre-dated it by decades, such as [[Lucozade]], the earliest version of the beverage consisted of a mixture of water, [[sodium]], [[sugar]], [[potassium]], [[phosphate]], and lemon juice.<ref name=gatoradehistprofile>{{cite web|last=Kays|first=Joe|title=Gatorade - The Idea that Launched an Industry|url=http://www.research.ufl.edu/publications/explore/v08n1/gatorade.html|publisher=University of Florida Research|access-date=January 24, 2011|year=2003}}</ref> Ten players on the University of Florida football team tested the first version of Gatorade during practices and games in 1965, and the tests were deemed successful. On the other hand, star [[quarterback]] [[Steve Spurrier]] said, "I don't have any answer for whether the Gatorade helped us be a better second-half team or not... We drank it, but whether it helped us in the second half, who knows?"<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat Into a Cultural Phenomenon|date=September 2, 2005|publisher=AMACOM|isbn=0814410952|pages=28}}</ref> Nonetheless, the football team credited Gatorade as having contributed to their first [[Orange Bowl]] win over the [[Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football|Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets]] in 1967, at which point the drink gained traction within the athletic community. Yellow Jackets coach [[Bobby Dodd]], when asked why his team lost, replied: "We didn't have Gatorade. That made the difference."<ref name="inventions">{{cite web|title=Football Inventions That Shaped the Modern Game|url=http://www.inventhelp.com/Football_Inventions.asp|date=September 6, 2007|access-date=September 6, 2007}}</ref>

The University of Florida researchers initially considered naming their product "Gator-Aid"., Theybut eventually settled on the name "Gatorade, however, since the researchers wanted to create a commercial product, not a scientifically-validated one{{non sequitur|date=May 2023}}". [[Darren Rovell]] notes in his history of Gatorade, ''First in Thirst'', "the doctors realized that they probably shouldn't use the 'Aid' suffix, since that would mean that if the drink were ever marketed, they would have to prove that it had a clear medicinal use and perform clinical tests on thousands of people."<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat Into a Cultural Phenomenon|date=September 2, 2005|publisher=AMACOM|isbn=0814410952|pages=24}}</ref> Gatorade co-inventor [[Dana Shires]] explained, "We were told that you couldn't use that because the Food and Drug Administration prohibited that. That would classify it as something other than a cola or soft drink, so we changed it to ade."<ref>{{cite web|last=Shires|first=Dana|title=Dana Leroy Shires, Jr.|url=http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00006306/00001/17x?search=gatorade|publisher=University of Florida Digital Collection|access-date=2014-03-21}}</ref>

Some were skeptical that the product's effect was anything more than a [[placebo]]. Cade mentioned, "If you told a football player that you were giving him [[Demerol]] to relieve pain and you gave him a placebo instead, there's about a 30% chance that the placebo will relieve the pain as much as taking Demerol would have."<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat Into a Cultural Phenomenon|date=September 2, 2005|publisher=AMACOM|isbn=0814410952|pages=50}}</ref>

In September 2022, Gatorade introduced Fast Twitch, its first caffeinated energy drink that had 200 milligrams of caffeine, electrolytes, andvitamins BB6 vitaminsand B12 but contained no sugar or carbonation. The company said it was designed to be taken in before a regular beverage consumed for hydration. It was an example of a broader push by PepsiCo into energy beverages.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Gatorade debuts its first-ever caffeinated energy drink Fast Twitch |url=https://www.fooddive.com/news/gatorade-debuts-caffeinated-energy-drink-fast-twitch/631070/ |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Food Dive |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Lucas |first=Amelia |title=Gatorade adds caffeine to its lineup with energy drink Fast Twitch |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/01/gatorade-adds-caffeine-to-its-lineup-with-energy-drink-fast-twitch.html |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=CNBC |date=September 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

In its early years, the Gatorade brand consisted of a single product line, '''Gatorade Thirst Quencher''', which was produced in liquid and [[drink mix|powder form]] under two flavor variants: ''Lemon Lime'' and ''Orange''.<ref name=backpacker>{{cite journal|title=Gatorade Thirst Quencher|journal=Backpacker Magazine|date=June 1977|volume=5|issue=21|page=26|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_98DAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Gatorade%20Thirst%20Quencher%22%20orange%20lemon-lime&pg=PA26 |access-date=January 24, 2011 |author1=Active Interest Media, Inc}}</ref> These remained as the only two flavor options for nearly 20 years, until the addition of the ''fruit punch'' flavor in 1983.<ref name=fruitpunchinv>{{cite book |last=McLain|first=Bill|title=What Makes Flamingos Pink?: A Colorful Collection of Q & A's for the Unquenchably Curious|year=2002|publisher=Harper Collins|isbn=978-0-06-000024-0|page=144|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=haHxWc1vllwC&q=Gatorade%20%22fruit%20punch%22%201983&pg=PA144}}</ref> In 1988, a ''Citrus Cooler'' flavor was introduced. The rise to popularity of this flavor was largely a result of [[Michael Jordan]], who, at the height of his NBA career in the early 1990s, stated that it was his favorite flavor. This claim appeared on the packaging beginning in 1991, as part of a 10-year endorsement deal.<ref name=jordancitruscooler>{{cite news|last=Rovell |first=Darren |title=Gatorade Makes Limited Edition Jordan Bottles |url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/31783427/Gatorade_Makes_Limited_Edition_Jordan_Bottles |access-date=August 17, 2011 |publisher=CNBC |date=July 7, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117024936/https://www.cnbc.com/id/31783427/Gatorade_Makes_Limited_Edition_Jordan_Bottles |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref name=citruscooler2>{{cite news|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=Powerade FLAVA23 hits shelves next month|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsbusiness/news/story?id=1861904|access-date=August 17, 2011|publisher=ESPN |date=August 18, 2004}}</ref> The Citrus Cooler flavor was reportedly discontinued at some point in the 1990s;<ref name=citruscoolerdiscontinued>{{cite news|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=Gatorade Blog|url=http://firstinthirst.typepad.com/darren_rovells_blog_on_al/2006/05/citrus_cooler_i.html|access-date=August 17, 2011|publisher=Darren Rovell's Gatorade Blog|date=May 16, 2006}}</ref> however, even as late as 2011, it was listed as being a current product in the U.S.<ref name=citruscooler2011>{{cite web|title=Products - Original G / Citrus Cooler |url=http://www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#product?s=gatorade-g|publisher=Gatorade.com|access-date=August 17, 2011}}</ref> In the late 1970s and early 1980s, as well as the late 1990s to early 2000s, a Gatorade brand of [[chewing gum]] called '''Gator Gum''' was produced. The product, manufactured by [[Fleer|Fleer Corporation]], was available in both of Gatorade's original flavors (lemon-lime and orange). In the late 1970s, Stokely-Van Camp (owner of Gatorade before 1983) negotiated a long-term licensing deal with [[Philadelphia Gum|Swell]] and [[Vicks]] to market Gator Gum. The gum was discontinued in 1989 after the contract expired.<ref name=galehist /><ref name=rovellbook/>

It was not until the mid and late 1990s that Gatorade beverages became available in a broader range of flavor variations. Among these initial flavor extensions were ''Watermelon'', introduced in 1995, and ''Cherry Rush'', ''Strawberry Kiwi'', and ''Mandarina'' flavors, added in 1996.<ref name=galehist /><ref name=rovellbook />{{rp|171}}<ref name=mandarina1>{{cite book|last=Parsons|first=Douglas J. Darymple; Leonard J. |title=Marketing Management |year=2000 |publisher=Wiley |location=New York |isbn=978-0-471-33238-1 |page=136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EVIpy99KGiEC&q=mandarina+gatorade|edition=7th}}</ref> In January 1997, Gatorade launched a new sub-line called '''Gatorade Frost''' with the intent of broadening the brand's appeal beyond traditional team competitive sports. Three initial flavors under the Frost product line were introduced at this time: ''Alpine Snow'', ''Glacier Freeze'', and ''Whitewater Splash''.<ref name=frostinvented>{{cite journal |title=Gatorade Frost Introduced |journal=Creative, the Magazine of Promotion and Marketing |date=April 21, 1997 |url=http://www.creativemag.com/onlweekly042197.html |access-date=January 24, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708203826/http://www.creativemag.com/onlweekly042197.html |archive-date=July 8, 2011 }}</ref> Aimed at what the company described as the 'active thirst' category{{snd}}a market ten times the size of the sports drink segment{{snd}}Gatorade Frost proved to be successful, far surpassing the company's initial expectations. Flavors in the Frost line were the first from Gatorade to divert from fruit names; it was described as consisting of "light-tasting fruit-flavor blends".<ref name=galehist />

In 2010, Gatorade re-branded a number of its products.<ref name="gatorfaq">{{cite web|url=http://www.gatorade.com/frequently_asked_questions/|title=Gatorade FAQ |work=Gatorade.com |access-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref> Original Gatorade was initially re-labeled as '''Gatorade G'''. Gatorade Rain was re-labeled as '''No Excuses'''. Gatorade AM was re-labeled '''Shine On'''; Gatorade X-Factor was relabeled as '''Be Tough,''', and Gatorade Fierce was relabeled '''Bring It'''. However, these names were short-lived, as a 2% decline in market share in 2009 led to a broader repositioning of the entire line in 2010.<ref name=rebrandingmay10>{{cite news |last=Picchi |first=Aimee |title=Gatorade's Rebranding: So Confusing It Requires an Ad to Explain It |url=http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/gatorades-rebranding-so-confusing-it-requires-a-new-ad-to-expl/19467659/ |access-date=January 24, 2011 |newspaper=Daily Finance |date=May 6, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110323053936/http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/company-news/gatorades-rebranding-so-confusing-it-requires-a-new-ad-to-expl/19467659/ |archive-date=March 23, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="ajc1">{{cite news|last=McWilliams|first=Jeremiah|title=PepsiCo revamps 'formidable' Gatorade franchise after rocky 2009 |url=http://www.ajc.com/business/pepsico-revamps-formidable-gatorade-397505.html|access-date=December 3, 2010|newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution|date=March 23, 2010}}</ref> Beginning in February 2010, the Gatorade product portfolio was re-positioned around what the company refers to as the '''G Series''', categorizing varieties of its products into three main segments: before, during, and after athletic events.<ref name=GSeries>{{cite news |last=Spector |first=Bennett|title=Gatorade Conquers Hydration: Debuting 'G Series' Technology at Super Bowl XLIV |url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/337710-gatorade-concurs-hydration-debuting-g-series-technology-at-super-bowl-xliv |access-date=January 13, 2011 |newspaper=Bleacher Report |date=February 1, 2010}}</ref>

In 1989, Dr. Cade created a new sports drink that he claimed was more effective than Gatorade. The new product was called TQ2, shorthand for Thirst Quencher 2. The patent application read:

The Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI), a research facility operated in [[Barrington, Illinois]], has been featured in a number of the company's commercials.<ref name="GSSI">{{Cite web|url=http://www.gssiweb.com/Histroy_GSSI.aspx?ExpandMenu=6|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090708090316/http://www.gssiweb.com/Histroy_GSSI.aspx?ExpandMenu=6|url-status=dead|title=Gatorade Sports Science Institute|website=Gssiweb.com|archive-date=July 8, 2009|access-date=March 11, 2022}}</ref> Established in 1985 and closed in 2022,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schroeder |first=Eric |date=April 15, 2022 |title=PepsiCo to Close Illinois R&D Facility |url=https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/21149-pepsico-to-close-illinois-r-and-d-facility |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231216113833/https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/21149-pepsico-to-close-illinois-r-and-d-facility |archive-date=December 16, 2023 |access-date=June 19, 2024}}</ref><ref name=factsheetGatorade /> this organization consistsconsisted of scientists studying the correlation and effects of exercise, environmental variables, and nutrition on the human body. According to [[Darren Rovell]], "GSSI was created at a time when there was a lot of scientific controversy, since there wasn't much public evidence that Gatorade actually worked...GSSI was also created to be part of Gatorade's powerful marketing arm."<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat Into a Cultural Phenomenon|date=September 2, 2005|publisher=AMACOM|isbn=0814410952|pages=195}}</ref>

It regularly conductsconducted testing and research on how hydration and nutrition affect athletic performance.<ref name="GSSI"/> Professional athletes such as [[Eli Manning]]<ref name="foxeli">{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox5ny.com/|title=FOX 5 New York|date=February 28, 2023|website=FOX 5 New York}}</ref> as well as collegiate and amateur athletes have been involved in fitness testing programs at the GSSI, which in part have led to innovations in new Gatorade formula variations and product lines.<ref name="sportsillustrated">{{cite magazine|last=Konecky|first=Chad|title=Sports drinks like Gatorade hydrate better than water|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=July 19, 2006|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/highschool/07/19/gatorade.study/|access-date=December 2, 2010}}</ref>

In addition to the former Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Gatorade sponsors external health and fitness research. In 1992, Gatorade paid the [[American College of Sports Medicine]] (ACSM) $250,000. A year later, Gatorade and the American College of Sports Medicine held a roundtable meeting on "exercise and fluid replacement".<ref>{{cite web|last=Thring|first=Oliver|title=Do sports drinks and hydration theory hold any water?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/aug/07/sports-drinks-hydration-theory-water|work=The Guardian|date=August 7, 2012|access-date=2014-03-14}}</ref> The ACSM published the meeting's results in 1996, advising athletes to drink "at a rate sufficient to replace all the water lost through sweating" or "the maximal amount that can be tolerated".<ref>{{cite journal|last=Convertino|first=V. A.|title=American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement.|journal=Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise|pmid=9303999|volume=28|issue=1|year=1996|pages=i–vii|doi=10.1097/00005768-199610000-00045|doi-access=free}}</ref> Gatorade continues to sponsor the American College of Sports Medicine, though the exact amount it pays is not public.<ref>{{cite web|last=American College of Sports Medicine|title=About ACSM Partners and Sponsors|url=http://www.acsm.org/about-acsm/partners-sponsors/sponsors|publisher=American College of Sports Medicine|access-date=2014-03-14}}</ref>

[[File:McLaren M16E 1975 Gatorade.jpg|thumb|McLaren M16E Indycar driven by JohhnyJohnny Rutherford in 1975]]

Early Gatorade advertisements claimed that the drink moved through the body 12 times faster than water. Research found that this was not true - Gatorade moves through the body at the same speed as water. Gatorade removed the claim from its advertisements.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rovell|first=Darren|title=First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat Into a Cultural Phenomenon|date=September 2, 2005|publisher=AMACOM|isbn=0814410952|pages=155–156}}</ref> Gatorade advertisements have claimed that athletes need to consume at least "40 oz. per hour [{{convert|40|USoz|L|disp=out}}] or your performance could suffer".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i0.wp.com/www.sportsscientists.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/Gatorade_ad.jpg |format=JPG|title=Photographic image of Gatorade advertisement|quotation="40 oz. per hour or your performance could suffer"|website=Sportsscientists.com|access-date=2022-03-11}}</ref> South African exercise physiologist Dr. [[Tim Noakes]] found that Cynthia Lucero died from [[Exercise-associated hyponatremia|exercise-associated hyponatremic]] [[encephalopathy]] drinking Gatorade at "the rate recommended by the advertisements".<ref>{{cite book |last=Noakes |first=Timothy |title=Waterlogged: The Serious Problem of Overhydration in Endurance Sports |date=May 1, 2012| publisher=Human Kinetics |isbn=978-1450424974 |pages=8 }}</ref>

In April 2014, it was announced that Gatorade would become an official supplier to [[Formula One|Formula 1]] team [[Force India|Sahara Force India]].<ref name="autoracesponsor">{{cite news|url=http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/gatorade_to_supply_surging_sahara_force_india|title=Gatorade Joins Sahara Force India Sponsors|date=9 April 2014|publisher=[[SportsPro]] |access-date=1 July 2016}}</ref> Gatorade became the main global sponsor for the [[UEFA Champions League]] starting in the 2015–18 cycle outside of [[North America]].<ref>{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pepsico-and-uefa-champions-league-continue-global-partnership-through-2024-301182233.html|title=PepsiCo and UEFA Champions League Continue Global Partnership Through 2024|work=[[PepsiCo]]|access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref> In November 2021, Gatorade signed [[UConn Huskies women's basketball|UConn basketball]] superstar [[Paige Bueckers]], making her the company's first college endorser since the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] allowed athletes at its member schools to receive [[Student athlete compensation|compensation for product endorsements]]. At the time, other athlete endorsers included basketball players [[Elena Delle Donne]], [[Jayson Tatum]], and [[Zion Williamson]]; NFL quarterback [[Trevor Lawrence]]; track star [[Sydney McLaughlin]], and tennis great [[Serena Williams]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yahoo.com/sports/uconn-paige-bueckers-signs-another-major-nil-deal-joins-gatorade-184611436.html |title=UConn's Paige Bueckers signs another major NIL deal, joins Gatorade |first=Krysten |last=Peek |website=Yahoo.com|date=November 29, 2021 |access-date=November 30, 2021}}</ref> By December 2023, Gatorade had signed three other college athletes to similar deals—football players [[Shedeur Sanders]] of [[Colorado Buffaloes football|Colorado]] and [[Nicholas Singleton|Nick Singleton]] of [[Penn State Nittany Lions football|Penn State]], and basketball superstar [[Caitlin Clark]] of [[Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball|Iowa]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/39096683/iowa-star-player-caitlin-clark-signs-nil-deal-gatorade |title=Iowa star player Caitlin Clark signs NIL deal with Gatorade |first=Alexa |last=Philippou |website=ESPN.com |date=December 12, 2023 |access-date=December 13, 2023}}</ref>