Eating an orange at halftime is a popular and long-standing tradition in junior sports in countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
It is also eaten regularly by professional athletes competing in competitions such as the Australian Football League, the National Basketball Association and the National Football League (NFL) in the United States.
In fact, the NFL’s game operations manual states that each home team must provide the visiting team with “three dozen sliced oranges at halftime,” as well as ice, coffee, gum, etc.
But why do we do this? And how did it start?
The origins of oranges in sports
The exact origins of the Orange’s association with sports are difficult to pin down.
Eating oranges has been a tradition in the UK since the 1950s, according to US company Florida Fruit Shippers.
Another origin story, put forward by the United States Youth Soccer Association, is that the tradition began with a donation in support of a local citrus growing business.
It has also been suggested that it may have arisen during World War II in Australia and Britain, linked to government concerns about malnutrition after rationing.
Just as milk was given free to school children to prevent diseases like rickets, oranges were also given out to rectify vitamin C and iron deficiencies, as vitamin C has been shown to increase the absorption of iron from plant sources.
Benefits of eating oranges
Fruits such as oranges contain carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates are important for providing energy, while vitamins and minerals are important for growth and development.
The combination of these nutrients helps to maintain good health.
In Australia, only around two-thirds of children up to the age of 18 meet the recommended fruit intake, so for good health, aim to eat at least two serves of fruit every day.
Encouraging children to eat fruit may help improve their health and sports performance.
To help children excel in junior sports, it’s important to provide them with healthy snacks to help them perform at their best.
Choosing fruit at halftime (or quartertime) is a great way to increase your fruit intake, plus there are benefits to eating an orange over a candy that only contains added sugars.
One benefit of oranges (as well as watermelon, strawberries, and grapes) is that they contain a large amount of water, and staying hydrated is essential for any sport at any age.
Another benefit is that oranges contain natural sugars that give you energy during exercise, making them a great snack between workouts.
An average-sized orange contains about 10-12 grams of carbohydrates as natural sugars, which are easily digestible and provide sustained energy.
In sports of shorter duration, muscle reserves are less likely to be depleted so an additional burst of energy isn’t necessarily needed.
So while oranges aren’t essential for short sports sessions lasting less than 75 minutes, they do help with hydration, burn energy and contain important nutrients that help keep kids healthy.
Plus, the natural sweetness makes it taste delicious.
Are there any drawbacks?
Despite the benefits of eating oranges, 15 years ago the Queensland Netball Association reportedly banned the eating of oranges at half-time.
The concern is that the acidity of oranges could damage children’s teeth, so coaches were encouraged to recommend liquids rather than oranges to keep players hydrated.
While it’s true that increased fruit and fruit juice intake can be bad for your teeth, munching on a few orange slices at halftime is unlikely to do much damage.
In fact, dehydration is a bigger concern for dentists because it reduces saliva production.
Saliva helps protect teeth from decay and erosion, and when saliva production decreases, so does tooth protection.
Recently, South Australian football clubs also banned oranges, with some teams selling lollipops instead. This change appears to have come about as a result of parents discussing the issue and deciding that consuming sugar was beneficial.
But candy is often sticky, meaning it sticks to the surface of your teeth and stays there for a long time — and this extended exposure to sugar increases your risk of tooth decay.
A fact sheet approved by the Australian Nutrition Association and the Australian Dental Association said junior athletes are not encouraged to eat candy.
But not everyone has given up on orange.
The Victorian government’s Vic Kids Eat Well program still promotes the idea of ”fueling with fruit”, encouraging junior players to snack on easily prepared fruit such as sliced oranges and apples.
They also suggest less acidic alternatives such as watermelon and bananas.
So while it’s hard to know exactly how, where or why orange became so prevalent in the sports world, it does seem to play a role for athletes of all ages and abilities.