generating $7 billion in annual sales for the drinks giant; but it wasn’t always the case. Spin back to the 1984–85 NFL season. There were high expectations for the 2012 Super Bowl-winning New York Giants that year too. But a third of the way into their schedule, the Giants stood at a mediocre 3-3 record. Then a curious thing happened. After beating their archrival the Washington Redskins, the Giants’ nose guard Jim Burt picked up the team’s cooler of Gatorade as the game clock expired and poured it over head coach Bill Parcells. Fans, teammates and media were shocked. Most saw it as a sign of disrespect. In fact, it was just a bit of playful revenge on Burt’s part after Parcells had chided him all week that he would struggle against the Redskins’ offensive line. But it was also intended as a celebration of the team’s success. Luckily for Burt, Parcells had a sense of humor and smiled as he was showered with the energy drink. And when the Giants won again the following week, Burt persuaded teammate Harry Carson to join him in another Gatorade bath.
