Evidence of the decline of civilization

[Ellen Forradalom]

Official beverage of the 1924 Paris Olympic marathon: Champagne.
Official beverage of the 2008 Los Angeles marathon: Gatorade.

Civilization has gone down the tubes. Case closed.

[_testify_]

1. Actually

It's evidence that we've gotten a bit smarter.

[Ellen Forradalom]

4. Smarter, yes

Yet lacking in style.

[Deja Q]

2. Or the other way around.

Booze adds to dehydration; something an athlete would want to avoid.

Gatorade and its ilk replenish people from dehydration; something an athlete would want to avoid.

[petronius]

3. Yes and no. The 1924 beverage was certainly classier, but it goes to

show that the obnoxious intrusion of marketing into sports (and more), with the 'official this' and 'sponsored by that' BS, isn't as new as we tend to think. So, perhaps we haven't fallen so far after all (we just started lower).