Gatorade has a whole marketing campaign centered around how their drinks prevent athletes from getting cramps. When LeBron James exited Game 1 of the NBA Finals because of cramps, they took advantage of the opportunity to rip the Miami Heat star for not hydrating with the proper sports drink.
Not only did Gatorade apologize a day later for their attacks on the Heat star, but we also learned that LeBron actually did drink Gatorade during the game.
Gatorade reportedly pays $18 million a year to be the official sports drink of the NBA. That’s probably exactly why you see Gatorade cups and coolers on the sidelines and in front of players and coaches during postgame press conferences. They’re paying a lot of money for that exposure. And that means athletes are only allowed the choice of water or Gatorade to drink on the bench during games.
So during Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday, LeBron was actually drinking Gatorade, though the label was ripped off the bottle because James endorses Powerade.
Dang, talk about egg on your face!
“Our apologies for our response to fans’ tweets during [Thursday] night’s Heat vs. Spurs game,” Gatorade said in a statement. “We got caught up in the heat of the battle. As a longtime partner of the Miami Heat, we support the entire team.”
To recap: Gatorade does not prevent cramps, regardless of what they want you to think.
H/T Deadspin
