The quarterback takes a knee as the clock winds down, and either green or red confetti falls from the sky. The season’s biggest game is ending, and the football world’s champion has been decided.
What is the first thing I’m looking for in this historic moment? You guessed it right, what color Gatorade is being dumped on the winning head coach?
The Gatorade bath is a tradition that runs all through the sports world, from the Super Bowl to college sports to the Little League World Series. When you win a big game, you dump the Gatorade bucket over the coach’s head, and all celebrate together.
It all started on October 28th, 1984. The New York football Giants defeated the two-time defending NFC Champion Washington Redskins (Now Washington Commanders). Head coach Bill Parcels has been extra tough that week in practice on nose tackle Jim Burt, and after the victory, Burt dumped the Gatorade on coach Parcells.
Burt and linebacker Harry Carson continued giving Parcells a Gatorade shower throughout the 1984 and 1985 seasons. During their 1986 Super Bowl-winning season, Carson got into the habit of celebrating every win with a Gatorade shower.
During the 1986-87 playoffs, CBS broadcaster John Madden would use the telestrator at the end of the Giants’ wins to highlight the Gatorade bucket. Grateful for the free advertising, Gatorade sent Carson and Parcells $1,000 gift certificates to Brooks Brothers.
As they say, the rest is history! Today, one of the most fun novelty props to bet on each Super Bowl is the color of the Gatorade for that winning shower. Let’s walk through past Super Bowl Gatorade color trends, this year’s odds, and what colors are worth tossing a little coin on.
Super Bowl LVII Gatorade Color History and Betting Odds
The Colorful Odds
Yellow/Green +165
Orange +300
Blue +400
Red/Pink +450
Purple +750
Clear/Water +750
None +1200
A Variety in Recent History
2022: Rams – Blue
2021: Buccaneers – Blue
2020: Chiefs – Orange
2019: Patriots – Blue
2018: Eagles – Yellow
2017: Patriots – None
Green/Yellow
This covers your traditional lemon-lime Gatorade color. This color is likely the favorite because the Philadelphia Eagles are the favorites to win the game (-1.5 on WynnBet).
In the NFC title game, after defeating the San Francisco 49ers, Lane Johnson and Fletcher Cox doused head coach Nick Sirianni with this color. When the Eagles last won the Super Bowl in 2018, after defeating the New England Patriots, head coach Doug Peterson also received the lemon-lime bath.
Since 2001 yellow has been used three times, 2001 Baltimore Ravens, 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers, and the aforementioned 2018 Philadelphia Eagles. If you see this game going the Eagles’ way as I do, Green/Yellow is the obvious choice here.
Orange
Orange is no surprise the next favorite color in terms of odds. This is the color the Kansas City Chiefs used in their most recent Super Bowl wins in 2020. It has almost been the most popular color used in recent history, being poured over the winning coach in five of the last thirteen Super Bowls.
Before the Chiefs in 2020, the Broncos in 2016, Seahawks in 2014, Packers in 2011, and the Saints in 2010 all used the color orange. If you are a Chief’s believer in this Super Bowl, orange is the most obvious color to bet, and 3/1 is a pretty good price.
Blue
Blue has been the color used by the last two Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams in 2022 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. It was also used by the New England Patriots in 2019 and again by the Patriots in 2015.
Neither of these teams has much of a recent history with blue, but a color that’s been used three of the last four years could find its way into the jug. At just 4/1 odds, I would rather go with the colors that seem to correlate more with the team I think will win.
Red/Pink and Purple
These two colors don’t hold much significance when it comes to the history of the Super Bowl. Red/Pink has not been used anytime in Super Bowl history. Red is the color of the Chiefs; that’s the only thing that could have this color this low of odds.
Purple has only been used twice since that 2001 season. 2003 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and 2012 by the New York Giants. Even after the death of Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant in 2020, it was highly speculated that purple would be used to honor him, and it was not. If Kobe can’t even bring purple to the Super Bowl, both of these color combinations won’t make my card.
Clear/Water and None
Surprisingly, both have been used more than red/pink or purple. Clear/Water sounds boring, but since that 2001 Super Bowl, it’s been used four times. However, those four times were in a row from 2005-2008 when the Patriots, Steelers, Colts, and Giants used water.
None also surprised checks in with four uses, even as recently as the 2017 New England Patriots win. The Ravens in 2013, Patriots again in 2004, and 2002 also didn’t do the Gatorade dump.
If you want to bet on a long shot (and come on, what bettor doesn’t?), both of these would qualify in that category and at least have a better chance of happening. None being priced at 12/1 is probably correct in that it truly is the longest shot, while we’ve seen it before.
It’s unlikely either of these teams decides not to use the Gatorade. So just in case someone forgets to pack the flavoring, go ahead and throw a little on plain old water. Good luck!
