Players eat oranges at halftime during the Ponsonby v Eden Under-6 children's rugby match at Cox's Bay Reserve back in 2013 in Auckland. Photo / Getty Images
Players eat oranges at halftime during the Ponsonby v Eden Under-6 children's rugby match at Cox's Bay Reserve back in 2013 in Auckland. Photo / Getty Images
Unpacking the origins of the sacred halftime oranges tradition in sports.
In fact, the NFL’s game operations manual states each home team must provide “three dozen sliced oranges for halftime” for the visiting team, as well as other things like ice, coffee and gum.
The exact origins of this relationship between oranges and sport are hard to pin down.
According to US business Florida Fruit Shippers, eating oranges has been a tradition in England since the 1950s.
Another suggested origin story, from the America Youth Soccer Organisation, is that the tradition was started by a donation from a supportive local citrus-growing business.
It has also been suggested that in Australia and the UK, it may have emerged during World War II, linked to government concerns about poor nutrition after rationing.
Similar to school students being given free milk to help prevent diseases such as rickets, they were also given oranges to assist with Vitamin C and iron deficiencies, as Vitamin C has been shown to enhance iron absorption from plant sources.
Benefits of eating oranges
Fruits like oranges contain carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates are important in providing energy while vitamins and minerals are important in growth and development.
Together these nutrients help contribute to good health.
In Australia, only about two-thirds of children up to the age of 18 eat the recommended serves of fruit. For good health, you should try to eat at least two serves of fruit every day.
Encouraging children to eat fruit could help improve their health and sports performance.
To help children perform in junior sports, it is important to provide healthy snacks that help them to play at their best.
Choosing fruit at halftime (or quarter-time) is a great way to increase fruit intake. There are also benefits from eating oranges over lollies, which contain only added sugars.
One benefit is oranges (along with watermelon, strawberries or grapes) is that they contain large amounts of water. This can help with staying hydrated, which is vital in all sports at all ages.
Oranges are loaded with nutrients, water and natural sugars to help fuel your kids through the rest of the game. Photo / 123rf
Another benefit is oranges contain natural sugars to provide energy during exercise. This makes them ideal halftime snacks.
An average sized orange will provide around 10-12 grams of carbohydrates via natural sugars. This carbohydrate is easy to digest to provide sustained energy.
In sports with shorter durations, additional bursts of energy are not always essential, as muscle stores are less likely to be as depleted.
So although oranges aren’t essential in shorter duration sports that go for less than 75 minutes, they can assist with hydration, provide a release of energy and include key nutrients to help children stay healthy – plus their natural sweetness can make them enjoyable.
Are there any downsides?
Despite the benefits of eating oranges, Netball Queensland reportedly banned them at halftime, 15 years ago.
The concern? Potential damage to children’s teeth due to the acidity of oranges. Coaches were encouraged to promote fluids instead of oranges to keep players hydrated.
While it’s true that increased consumption of fruits and fruit juices can harm teeth, eating a few orange slices at halftime is unlikely to cause significant damage.
In fact, dehydration is more of a concern for dentists due to the resulting lack of saliva production.
Saliva helps to protect the teeth from tooth decay and erosion – when saliva production is reduced, so too is the protection of teeth.
Recently, some South Australian football clubs have also banned oranges, with some teams replacing them with lollies. This shift seems to have evolved from parents talking to each other and deciding a sugar hit is beneficial.
Due to their acidity, the consumption of oranges is associated with an increased risk of tooth decay. However, eating a few orange slices at halftime is unlikely to cause significant damage. Photo / 123rf
But lollies are often sticky, causing them to adhere to the tooth’s surface and remain there for extended periods. This prolonged exposure to sugar increases the risk of tooth decay.
A fact sheet endorsed by Nutrition Australia and Australian Dental Association states eating lollies is not recommended for junior players.
The Victorian Government’s Vic Kids Eat Well programme still promotes the idea of “refuel with fruit”, encouraging junior players to snack on easy-to-prepare fruits such as sliced oranges and apples.
They also suggest lower-acidity alternatives like watermelon or bananas.
So while it’s difficult to know exactly how, where and why oranges became so ubiquitous in sport, they do seem to serve a purpose for athletes of all ages and abilities.
Vaughan Cruickshank is a senior lecturer in Health and Physical Education at the University of Tasmania. Brendon Hyndman is an associate professor (adjunct) of health & physical education at Charles Sturt University. Matt Sharman is a senior lecturer in Health Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Tasmania. Tom Hartley is a lecturer in Health and Physical Education at the University of Tasmania.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.
