How Gatorade became a marketing phenomenon

Journal Gazette 12/28/2005 How Gatorade became a marketing phenomenon:

"When the original cast members of the musical Hair declared in the 1960s that it was even better than LSD, few could argue that Gatorade was on to big things.

Since its creation in a University of Florida basement laboratory, Gatorade has led the sports-drink industry and raked in billions of dollars in the process. Now the drink has its own biographer. Darren Rovell, a business reporter for ESPN, has written �First in Thirst: How Gatorade Turned the Science of Sweat into a Cultural Phenomenon.

Now in its 40th year, Gatorade has proved an unlikely marketing phenomenon. In 1965, professor of medicine Robert Cade and a team of scientists researching dehydration came up with the salty, sugary mix. The freshmen squad of the school�s football team, the Gators, served as the first guinea pigs. It initially tasted so bad, players had trouble keeping it down. But when they beat the varsity players in a scrimmage game, Gatorade�s march to the beverage hall of fame had begun.So why a book on Gatorade?"