Gatorade Has Been Around Longer Than Most Sports Drinks

Gatorade has not only removed brominated vegetable oil (BVO), but they have also introduced additional energy options, including Propel enhanced fitness water and Torq energy drinks.

Scott Powers of UF Exercise physiology believes Gatorade takes an aggressive stance toward sports nutrition research. With their scientific support helping athletes of all levels perform at their best.

Early Life and Education

Ask any marketer of Gatorade why their drink has endured over 50 years, and they’ll probably cite its origin story of being “created in a laboratory, tested on athletic fields.” That jives well with how early on Gatorade aligned itself with professional trainers who manage locker rooms and sidelines.

Shires, Cade and other researchers were initially offered $1 Million for outright sale of the formula; they ultimately settled for an ongoing royalty that continues today at Quaker Oats Co (subsequently purchased by PepsiCo in 2001).

Gatorade’s recent commitment to supporting equity and diversity in sports can be seen through partnerships with national social-impact organizations like Athlete Ally, Good Sports, Honest Game Foundation and Laureus USA as well as longstanding brand programs like Gatorade Youth Activation Fund.

Professional Career

Gatorade’s core product offering consists of sports-inspired beverages. Analysts indicate that Gatorade has achieved remarkable market growth by successfully taking market share from other beverage producers like Pepsi’s AllSport and Coke’s Powerade. According to Beverage Digest, Gatorade currently boasts a market share of 73% in the US. Gatorade serves as the official drink of professional sports leagues such as NFL, MLB, WNBA NBA and NHL; additionally it is chosen as official drink by various high school teams and various professional leagues such as NHL. Gatorade has enjoyed great success gaining public favor through signing athletes as ambassadors of their product, such as during New York Giants coach Bill Parcells’ 1986-87 championship run when players would dunk him with Gatorade after each victory – an act which became a beloved tradition throughout both NFL and other team sports leagues.

Achievement and Honors

Daniel Simmons of American Fork High School in American Fork, Utah was recently honored as the 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year. This honor recognizes athletes who excel both on the field and make an impactful contribution off it; Daniel will use his Gatorade prize money to donate to 501c3 youth sports charities under Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative.

At this year’s Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, a company’s campaign that capitalized on middle-aged men’s desire to relive all-important sports moments from their youth won a top award. It involved staging a rematch between rival high school American football teams fifteen years after drawing their final game was honored with this accolade.

Personal Life

Gatorade’s success is testament to branding. Their iconic television ads have cemented it in people’s minds, while its slogan “Gatorade is thirst-aid for that deep down body thirst” helped it flourish from the 1980s through today.

PepsiCo’s AllSport and Coke’s Powerade remain among its major competitors, but Gatorade continues to maintain a 73 percent market share in the US while expanding into sports-themed drinks and foods.

Gatorade has also become well-known for their use of professional athletes like soccer star Mia Hamm and basketball legend Michael Jordan to endorse its products, leading to growth within the company. Additionally, their sponsorships have supported this growth; Gatorade sponsors annual Gatorade Classic golf tournament as well as making an appearance at Super Bowl events as well as supporting University of Florida football team sponsorship.

Net Worth

Gatorade was developed by a team of scientists at the University of Florida to rehydrate players and replace carbohydrates burned during intense sports activity. After helping their football team defeat Louisiana State University in 1965, Cade’s invention would become a smash hit and lead to a multi-billion dollar sports and energy drinks market.

Stokely-Van Camp initially distributed Gatorade in 32-ounce cans, but these quickly rusted after sitting on grocery store shelves. Instead, glass quart jars proved far more successful for Gatorade sales growth.

Gatorade’s success inspired other companies to enter the market, but most struggled against Gatorade. Most recently, Repole and Collins-backed BodyArmor passed Coke PowerAde in sales.