Gatorade is a brand of sports drinks, protein shakes, energy chews, and other foods and beverages aimed at improving athletic performance. The brand is owned by the beverage and food producer PepsiCo, Inc. Some proceeds from Gatorade sales go to the University of Florida (UF), where the drink was developed. 
In the early-to-mid-1900’s, coaches and trainers discouraged athletes from drinking fluids during practice and competition. They believed it caused bloating and reduced athletic performance. But many athletes suffered from heat exhaustion and heatstroke (sometimes called sunstroke), particularly in hot climates.
In 1965, an assistant coach of the UF football team, Dwayne Douglas, wondered why players did not have to urinate during games and practices. He asked Robert Cade, a nephrologist (kidney specialist) at the UF College of Medicine. Cade and his colleagues got permission from the team’s head coach, Ray Graves, to study the players. They found that the players lost large amounts of water and dissolved substances called electrolytes through their sweat.
The doctors created a beverage containing glucose, sodium chloride, and potassium to improve athletic performance and prevent heatstroke. Glucose is a type of sugar. Sodium, chloride, and potassium are important electrolytes in the body. At the suggestion of Cade’s wife, the doctors added lemon juice to improve the beverage’s taste. They nicknamed the drink Gatorade as a combination of the university’s athletic nickname, the Gators, and lemonade.
Experiments during practices convinced Graves of Gatorade’s ability to improve athletic performance. The team began supplying the beverage to players during games and practices. The Gators went 9-2 in 1966, their first full season with Gatorade. The team was able to outlast its opponents and dominate the fourth quarter. One of the team’s losses occurred during a game in which Gatorade failed to arrive at the stadium.
Newspapers wrote positive stories about Gatorade at the end of the 1966 season, increasing its recognition. The following year, Cade and his colleagues licensed Gatorade to the food company Stokely-Van Camp. The company at first wanted to use a different name, but most prospective customers already knew the drink as Gatorade. PepsiCo acquired Gatorade in 2001, through its purchase of the Quaker Oats Company.
