Gatorade is specially formulated to give athletes what water cannot.
Studies have shown that athletes who hydrate with Gatorade outperform athletes who hydrate with just water in a number of key performance measures, including the ability to exercise longer before succumbing to fatigue (1, 2), maintain a faster sprint speed in the second half of a competition period (2, 5), and exhibit higher explosive power both overall (1, 6) and later in exercise (3, 4).
The studies show what the inventors of Gatorade hypothesized over 40 years ago when faced with the task of determining why many Florida Gator players were both underperforming and succumbing to the affects of heat and heat related illnesses: when it comes to optimal field performance, water isn’t enough.