The Gatorade Shower

[sport historian]

Months ago, several posters expressed the view that the ritual gatorade shower for the winning coach is one of the negatives of the "modern" NFL. Was Bill Parcells the first coach to have this done on a regular basis? It looked ridiculous but Parcells seemed to enjoy it.

Someone expressed the view that one day a coach would fall ill after a gatorade bath. It did happen but was quickly forgotten. The long-time NFL head coach George Allen was coaching Long Beach State in 1990. After managing to win the season's final game, his players dumped gatorade on the 72-year old Allen.

It was a windy day in the low 50's. Allen told people that he didn't feel well afterward. He died about a month later.

 

[Europe]

I'm pretty sure it started with the Giants, either in '86 or '90. That must be banned.Enough is enough.

 

[JReb1]

I remember this starting with the Giants in either 85 or 86 but this ritual has jumped the shark long ago. It hasn't been funny in over 20 years...

 

[foreverfree]

There used to another thread on Gatorade baths. I think Don weeded it out. I agree, the novelty wore off years ago. I also agree that it's not a good idea in cold and colder weather. If it can be fatal to a 72 yo man on a windy day in the low 50s, imagine the effects in Ice Bowl or Freezer Bowl conditions.

John

 

[guest301]

Like the wave, the gatorade shower is played out. Could any one of you posters imagine Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry disrespected in that way?

 

[Don Wassall]

It's a sadistic ritual that needs to go.

 

[jaxvid]

There was another thread on the subject and I will repeat what I said then, if I were a coach I would let my players know that they will be kicked off the team for doing anything that stupid. The last thing a coach needs is to be soaking in that sticky sugary crap while doing a postgame interview and dealing with alumnii and owners!

 

[Quiet Speed]

If I'm a coach, I'm telling the trainers or whoever is responsible for the coolers that there better not be anything more than confetti in them come the end of the game or their butts will be fired. Enough is enough.

 

[white is right]

I recall one coach(not sure whom)making the trainers dump the buckets of sports drinks before the end game when the weather conditions were similar to a typical Green Bay game in January. I know if I got that dumped on me I would do a severe kangaroo court type fine that would be given to a charity on behalf of the two idiots that dumped the liquid sugar on me if the weather was similar to that. I could take the bath if I coached in San Diego or a similar market. Considering how primitive the head sets were in the late 80's I wonder if a coach could have died from electrocution in one of those baths.....

 

[Riddlewire]

Surely I'm not the only one aware of this.

Gatorade pays BIG bucks for those gatorade baths at the end of games. It's no different from shoe contracts, or the "I'm going to Disney World" interview/commercial.
I guess it was always supposed to be a secret. But ESPN (or maybe it was FOXSports) inadvertently revealed the arrangement a couple of years ago when an afflete was shown during the game brutalizing the Gatorade stand after being yanked for poor play. The announcer said that Gatorade wouldn't be happy about their product placement being defaced.

 

[guest301]

Surely I'm not the only one aware of this.

Gatorade pays BIG bucks for those gatorade baths at the end of games. It's no different from shoe contracts, or the "I'm going to Disney World" interview/commercial.
I guess it was always supposed to be a secret. But ESPN (or maybe it was FOXSports) inadvertently revealed the arrangement a couple of years ago when an afflete was shown during the game brutalizing the Gatorade stand after being yanked for poor play. The announcer said that Gatorade wouldn't be happy about their product placement being defaced.

Big difference between paying to have Gatorade products on the sidelines and paying to have them dumped on somebody. Are you sure that is part of the contract with the league, seems too contrived even for the NFL to me.

 

[Riddlewire]

Surely I'm not the only one aware of this.

Gatorade pays BIG bucks for those gatorade baths at the end of games. It's no different from shoe contracts, or the "I'm going to Disney World" interview/commercial.
I guess it was always supposed to be a secret. But ESPN (or maybe it was FOXSports) inadvertently revealed the arrangement a couple of years ago when an afflete was shown during the game brutalizing the Gatorade stand after being yanked for poor play. The announcer said that Gatorade wouldn't be happy about their product placement being defaced.

Big difference between paying to have Gatorade products on the sidelines and paying to have them dumped on somebody. Are you sure that is part of the contract with the league, seems too contrived even for the NFL to me.

The only time the cameras ever show the Gatorade (and the only time the brand is mentioned) is when the players dump it on the coaches. If Gatorade is only paying to have the players drink it, then they're getting nothing for their money.
I'm not the one who made the statement. It was ESPN. My guess is that there is probably a base fee for the Gatorade to be present on the sidelines, and a huge bonus payout whenever it is used in a celebration dump. After all, there's no guarantee that any game will ever result in a situation that calls for a Gatorade bath.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Like the wave, the gatorade shower is played out. Could any one of you posters imagine Vince Lombardi or Tom Landry disrespected in that way?

Well said. It's downright immature & juvenile IMO. I can't imagine Lombardi, Landry or the Bear tolerating such idiocy.

 

[foreverfree]

The only time the cameras ever show the Gatorade (and the only time the brand is mentioned) is when the players dump it on the coaches. If Gatorade is only paying to have the players drink it, then they're getting nothing for their money.
I'm not the one who made the statement. It was ESPN. My guess is that there is probably a base fee for the Gatorade to be present on the sidelines, and a huge bonus payout whenever it is used in a celebration dump. After all, there's no guarantee that any game will ever result in a situation that calls for a Gatorade bath.

That's probably why the lethal effect of Gatorade on George Allen was swept under the rug before his body got cold. Gatorade would have been in for a public relations nightmare - unless it turned out to be the Teflon thirst quencher.

John

 

[whiteCB]

So I'll ask you smart gentlemen this: is the act of dumping Gatorade on coaches a product of society's values? After all this act is a byproduct of contemporary times. You never saw Ty Cobb, Bob Feller, Terry Bradshaw, or YA Title dumping gallons of liquid on their coaches after a huge win. Is this Gatorade ritual just a prime example of the dumbing down and lack of respect towards those above you (coaches)?

 

[sport historian]

Since the late 1960's, a main value of society has been what is called "self-expression." What would have seemed ridiculous became part of the culture.

 

[FootballDad]

It's a dumb "tradition". However, like Riddlewire mentions above, thereare monetary incentives for it to be done, paid advertising dollars. So even if it's disrespectful, sadistic, and ridiculous, it pays, so unless that aspect is undone, it's likely here to stay. Edited by: FootballDad

 

[GWTJ]

This thread reminds me of a thread I saw on a baseball website. It questioned ballplayers starting a dogpile after huge victories. And like this thread, posters wanted to get rid of this tradition.

My son's college team won their conference tournament and qualified for the College World Series. They had a great dogpile by the pitchers mound and my son has a great picture of it just as he was jumping on top.


I don't think any of us should give a sh*t what players and coaches do to celebrate victories. If we were enjoying our celebration(like Ghana getting ousted from the World Cup) we would tell judgemental people to f-off. We'll do what we want.

My little league all star team dumped ice water on me after a big win and I didn't consider it sadistic or dumb. It was a cool moment for the players and the coach.

 

[Europe]

It looks like the Bears did it in 84.

When someone invariably interviews New York Giants players about the claim that the 1986 Giants invented the Gatorade Shower, please remember, the 1984 Chicago Bears invented the practice, not the 1986 Giants.

When they first started claiming this, I clearly remembered it. On November 25, 1984, the 1984 Chicago Bears clinched the first Bear championship of any kind since 1963, and to celebrate, they doused Head Coach Mike Ditka with the bucket. I watched this clearly on television as a 13 year old. I have no idea how the Giants would think they could get away with claiming credit for this.

I have a lot of Bears games in my Chicago Bears DVD collection, but I don't have that game. I may try to get it, and if I do, will certainly post a clip to debunk this myth that surely will be spoken of this week

article

The Gatorade shower is so boring. How about using some imagination and do something else.

 

[DixieDestroyer]

GWTJ, I think the subject is directed at college & (especially) pro athletes. I understand younger players (little league, HS, etc.) will follow the "trends" set by the "professionals". The "Gatorade bath" doesn't "bother" me (per se); I just find it silly & unprofessional (for pros). The dog-pile is also a bid juvenile (IMO), but I don't have a major issue with it.

 

[jaxvid]

"Dogpile"? Is that what they are calling it now? We had a different name for it when I was a kid.

 

[white is right]

It looks like the Bears did it in 84.

When someone invariably interviews New York Giants players about the claim that the 1986 Giants invented the Gatorade Shower, please remember, the 1984 Chicago Bears invented the practice, not the 1986 Giants.

When they first started claiming this, I clearly remembered it. On November 25, 1984, the 1984 Chicago Bears clinched the first Bear championship of any kind since 1963, and to celebrate, they doused Head Coach Mike Ditka with the bucket. I watched this clearly on television as a 13 year old. I have no idea how the Giants would think they could get away with claiming credit for this.

I have a lot of Bears games in my Chicago Bears DVD collection, but I don't have that game. I may try to get it, and if I do, will certainly post a clip to debunk this myth that surely will be spoken of this week

article

The Gatorade shower is so boring. How about using some imagination and do something else.

I recall the "Fridge" leading the idiot charge with one end of the Gatorade bath. It would make sense that Bears invented this winning "tradition" as that team was the first to market itself like modern teams do. I also recall LT and maybe Wilber Marshall dousing Parcells.

 

[Westside]

Regarding the "high five" and the "Wave" both I believe were started at Dodger Stadium. The "high five" was started by the team in the early 80s, 1981 I think. And the "wave" was started by the Korean or Japanese baseball teams during the 1984 Olympics.

 

[foreverfree]

"Dogpile"? Is that what they are calling it now? We had a different name for it when I was a kid.

Would you mind sharing that name with us, jaxvid?

John

 

[foreverfree]

It looks like the Bears did it in 84.

When someone invariably interviews New York Giants players about the claim that the 1986 Giants invented the Gatorade Shower, please remember, the 1984 Chicago Bears invented the practice, not the 1986 Giants.

When they first started claiming this, I clearly remembered it. On November 25, 1984, the 1984 Chicago Bears clinched the first Bear championship of any kind since 1963, and to celebrate, they doused Head Coach Mike Ditka with the bucket. I watched this clearly on television as a 13 year old. I have no idea how the Giants would think they could get away with claiming credit for this.

I have a lot of Bears games in my Chicago Bears DVD collection, but I don't have that game. I may try to get it, and if I do, will certainly post a clip to debunk this myth that surely will be spoken of this week

article

The Gatorade shower is so boring. How about using some imagination and do something else.

I recall the "Fridge" leading the idiot charge with one end of the Gatorade bath. It would make sense that Bears invented this winning "tradition" as that team was the first to market itself like modern teams do. I also recall LT and maybe Wilber Marshall dousing Parcells.

I believe the Fridge was a senior at Clemson in 1984. Per http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PerrWi20.htm Da Bears drafted him in 1985.

John