The sports drink Gatorade has been a sponsor of the National Football League since 1983, longer than any other product. Gatorade, which is under the PepsiCo. umbrella, is a part of a current deal that nets the NFL $100 million a year.

Gatorade was invented in 1965 by Dr. Roger Cade and a team of scientists at the University of Florida who had been studying why athletes at the school seemed to tire late during their competitions. Cade and his team developed a drink that helped replenish the carbohydrates, water and electrolytes the athletes lost during their games. Originally, the product was to be called Gator-Aid in honor of the school's mascot, the Gators. But it was changed to Gatorade because the scientists would have to prove it had medicinal purposes if ever marketed with the suffix "aid". Gatorade is the official sports drink of 13 sports leagues in the United States, along with countless high school and college programs throughout the country.

Gatorade is distributed throughout 80 countries internationally.

Visa became a sponsor of the NFL in 1995, the second-longest business agreement with the league.

Campbell's Soup became an official sponsor in 1998. Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Budweiser, did not become a sponsor until 2011 despite advertising their product during NFL games earlier than that.

More Info: en.elevent.co