John Brannan
Persuasive Essay
11/14/11
Honors English III
Gatorade: physically or mentally helpful?
Gatorade started out in a little lab at the University of Florida by Robert Cade and his team of researchers in 1965. They wanted their athletes to gain their electrolytes back quicker than ever when they lost them in their rigorous sporting events or training. The way it has evolved over the last 46 years is exactly why Gatorade is such a hot debate. It is basically just like a kool-aid with a few extra ingredients that make you “perform” better. Just to clear this up, it more than likely is all in the athlete’s mind that it helps you, or in other words mentally not physically helpful.
No doubt, team Gatorade has a lot to be proud of, and hell, they have even more to brag about. The products they created in the short amount of time are unheard of. It went from an extremely poorly and cheaply made refuel drink to becoming the 4th most popular brand in the United States. Coming out with the new “G” series was pure genius, with pre-game loaded with carbohydrates, with prime to perform containing regular Gatorade, and with recover stacked with protein so the athlete can build up the strength to start training much sooner. Simpler said it took athletes to an entirely new level. With them being able to train longer and more intensely, and recover in matter of hours, Team Gatorade single handedly evolved some of the best athletes in the world including boxing legend Casius Clay and basketball All-Star Dwight “Flight” Howard.
The fulfillment of the electrolytes when they enter your body is truly unexplainable, discovered by personal experiments, and can really only explained if you yourself give it a whirl. Fulfillment of this product is obviously an enormous part of its success, but not the only part.
The marketing and advertising side is absolutely necessary. Are the founders and CEOs in it to replenish unbreakable working athletes with the electrolytes they need for fuel, or are they in it for the marketing and advertisement investments? Everyone knows that Gatorade is used for fuel, pre and post game as well as during, but we also know that over the years Gatorade is becoming much more cheaply made than in the past and that the founders of Gatorade are making multi-billions with this sketchy but successful organization. What everyone does not know is that all of the sugar in Gatorade consequently dehydrates you, makes you thirstier, and about the number of athletes who collapse as a result of dehydration.
Scientifically proven, Gatorade replenishes you with the missing electrolytes quicker than water. Experimentally proven, it makes you thirstier and as a result of that you sweat more. So after sweating so much more you keep losing it not to mention you are filling your body with an extreme number of sugars which has caused a death to an athlete in France.
To bring up the money management side of this product is needed, not just for my point of view on this debate, but also for my counter part’s perspective. Everyone realizes how wealthy the people who call the shots in this corporation are. That is not a secret any more. What is a secret is the way they are spending the revenue that is coming in to the company. If you are a frequent customer of the Gatorade product, then I am positive you knew that the bottles, caps, and packages are becoming more and more cheaply made. Is it for the environment? Ha, joke. If it were for the environment why they would up the percentage of water in the mixture from 92% to 96% and completely disorient which I think was the best sport drink around is not anything short of insanity. Is it Gatorade’s fault? Or is that just how America is, trying to skeet anyone and everyone for every little penny they can get?
There are a couple select athletes in this world that work out at a high enough intensity that water would not be sufficient enough to keep them hydrated or healthy during training sessions. And if you are one of those three or four people in the world that qualifies under that category congratulations, disregard this persuasive movement for you win. In reality you are not. As tested by menshealth.com when it comes down to water versus H2o; water wins in convenience, effectiveness, calories, and cost, only falling short to taste.
Gatorade is a sporting drink that helped evolved a few of the greatest athletes in the world, and is also a sporting drink that helped evolve a few trips to the hospital due to high or low sugar counts. Just because you do not see “water” sponsoring national televised sporting events does not mean that it cannot be just as superior or I will go father than that and say better. If you are a high school kid like myself that knows that facts about Gatorade versus water and knows that it comes down to a mind game, congratulations! You will save money and a possible trip to the hospital.