Skip to content
Culture & Religion

Red Bull Athletes

Why has the Red Bull energy drink company built up its very own sporting empire, organizing aerobatics competitions, sponsoring snowboarders and running a soccer team in New York?
Sign up for Smart Faster newsletter
The most counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Doping is the biggest problem facing professional sport, yet so far Red Bull hasn’t joined the fight to end the practice. Why should it? Its own product may not be on any list of banned substances, but it purports to “give you wings,” give you a boost. That’s what it’s all about. A new sort of athlete is emerging. You could call it “Generation Red Bull.” In an ideal world you would end up with someone like Sebastian Vettel; a friendly version of this species of passionate, ruthless, rather narcissistic sportsmen and -women. Red Bull athletes are egotistical and daring.

Sign up for Smart Faster newsletter
The most counterintuitive, surprising, and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Related

Up Next
Fred Pearce looks at what hopes there are for agreement on a replacement for the Kyoto protocol as world experts get together from 29th November to 10th December in Mexico.