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More than 2.16 billion cups of tea are consumed globally every single day. Among these avid tea drinkers is an ever-increasing number of the world’s most esteemed sporting stars. Even though it is a common belief that athletes live on high-caffeine sports drinks, tea is the beverage of choice for many top-ranked F1 racers, soccer players, and even volleyball players. Not only is tea favored because of its countless health and wellness benefits, but also because of its soothing properties and the fact that it is downright delicious.
Daniel Ricciardo drinks tea at high speeds
Despite being one of the most-watched sports in the world there is a lot we don’t know about Formula One racing. Firstly, the logistics involved in F1 are nothing short of mind-blowing. Every single F1 team ships the equivalent weight of nearly 8 elephants before every race, equating to nearly 50 tonnes a year. Equally as fascinating are the rituals and habits of some of the biggest names in racing. For instance, McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo is a self-proclaimed tea lover. Not only does he indulge in his favorite mint and green teas in the comfort of his own home, but he also prefers to have his built-in drinks system in his racing cars filled with tea instead of water.
Soccer players and tea go way back
During the 1990s, a survey of English soccer teams found that 82% of teams still served a cup of tea to players during half-time. Steve Nichol, who played for both Liverpool and Scotland, confirmed the results of the survey, stating that drinking tea at half-time was a matter of preference and not one linked to sports science. Many soccer legends have admitted to being tea lovers. Among them is former Manchester United legend David Beckham who is not shy to admit that he likes to kick back and relax with a freshly brewed cup of tea.
Dustin Watten swaps coffee for matcha
American national volleyball player Dustin Watten used to be quite the coffee drinker before he was introduced to matcha tea by a fellow player, Robbie Page. After relying on coffee for 7 years to provide him with energy, Watten soon realized that matcha was a far better choice. Not only did his sleep quality improve drastically, but he also was no longer experiencing constant jitters and a mid-afternoon crash. Apart from the health benefits, Watten has also become very fond of the matcha taste and readily enjoys it as a hot drink or in his workout smoothies.
Tea is a very popular drink among people from all walks of life. Even some of the world’s sporting greats rate tea as their favorite hot beverage.
Photo “Gray kettle on gray metal stand” is under an irrevocable, nonexclusive, worldwide copyright license to the photographer Sandeep Singh and is being posted unaltered (source)
