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Gatorade facts for kids

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The Gatorade Company
Gatorade logo.svg
The Gatorade logo, produced by TBWA\Chiat\Day
Type Sports drink
Nutrition bar
Protein drink
Other sports nutrition products
Owner PepsiCo (via Quaker Oats Company)
Country United States
Introduced September 9, 1965; 59 years ago (1965-09-09)
Markets 80 countries including the United States, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, United Kingdom and Australia
Previous owners Robert Cade
Stokely-Van Camp

Gatorade is a well-known American brand that makes sports drinks and other food products for athletes. PepsiCo makes these drinks, and you can find them in over 80 countries around the world.

The first Gatorade drink was created in 1965. A group of scientists, led by Robert Cade, developed it. They made it for the Gators football team at the University of Florida. The goal was to help the players get back the carbohydrates they used up during games. It also replaced the water and electrolytes (important minerals like salt) they lost when they sweated a lot.

After its creation, Stokely-Van Camp started producing and selling Gatorade in 1965. Later, in 1983, the Quaker Oats Company bought the brand. Then, in 2000, PepsiCo bought Quaker Oats, which included Gatorade. Gatorade is now one of PepsiCo's biggest brands. It competes with other sports drinks like Powerade and Vitaminwater. In the United States, Gatorade is the most popular sports drink.

What are the Main Gatorade Flavors?

Gatorade comes in many different flavors. Here are some of the most popular ones:

How Gatorade is Advertised and Endorsed

Gatorade Early Testing Photo
University of Florida football player Chip Hinton testing Gatorade in 1965, next to Robert Cade, who led the team that invented it.

Gatorade is the official sports drink for many major sports leagues. This includes NASCAR, the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also partners with the National Hockey League (NHL) and other sports groups. Gatorade provides drinks to these teams.

In 2008, Gatorade became available in the U.K. This happened when they made a deal to be the official sports drink for the Chelsea F.C. football club.

One of Gatorade's most famous ad campaigns was in 1991. It was called "Be Like Mike" and featured Michael Jordan. He was a basketball superstar for the Chicago Bulls. These ads became very popular in America.

Today, Gatorade still works with famous athletes to promote its products. Some of these athletes include Derek Jeter (baseball), Sidney Crosby (hockey), Dwyane Wade (basketball), Tiger Woods (golf), and Peyton Manning (football).

Gatorade in Movies and TV Shows

Gatorade is often seen in movies and TV shows, especially those about sports. The most famous example is the "Gatorade shower." This is when players on a winning American football team surprise their coach. They pour a cooler full of Gatorade and ice over his head!

This tradition became popular in the mid-1980s. Players from the New York Giants started doing it to their coach, Bill Parcells. It quickly spread to other sports teams.

Gatorade is also often used in media to represent sports drinks in general. For example, in the movie The Waterboy, a character says that "the water sucks" and Gatorade is much better.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gatorade para niños

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