Marshawn Lynch is a huge Skittles fan. His love for Skittles has been well-documented, and he even bagged an endorsement deal with the company in 2014. In 2017, Lynch came out of retirement to play for Oakland at their first game of the season and found a way to integrate his love for Skittles and his hometown.
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The running back showed his love for the candy and the people of Oakland and set up Skittles vending machines across the city. Lynch helped to both place and stock the machines with free candy across five locations. The idea was to celebrate his return, the Raiders’ first home game of the season, and of course the people of his city.
Lynch’s love for Skittles has always tickled fans. In his heyday, he would be spotted on the sidelines, downing some skittles before, after, and during games. The RB was expressive about his love for the candy so much so that Skittles eventually handed him an endorsement deal, paying him for that love.
Marshawn Lynch’s Obsession with Skittles
Lynch’s obsession with the candy first went viral in 2011, when he was captured downing a pack after scoring a touchdown. Fans then started throwing Skittles at him after throwing a TD. He even put Skittles on his Nike cleats. Once his sponsorship deal was signed, a “Skittle crisis” came to Seattle as the candy began to be sold out ahead of the Super Bowl in 2014.
However, the candy company saved the day and released limited edition Seattle Seahawks Skittle bags. Marshawn’s love for Skittles goes all the way back to his childhood, thanks to his mother. Back in 2012, Lynch’s mother told Seahawks.com, “I would give him a handful of Skittles and say, ‘Eat ’em up, baby, they’re going to make you run fast and they’re going to make you play good.‘”
While Lynch was playing college ball at Cal, he said the school used to “buy them by the case.” Of his college-time obsession, he said,
“It really took off in college, when they gave me a pack of Skittles on the sideline at Cal…But it didn’t blow up the way it has like this.”
ESPN Sports Science even tested the positive aspects Skittles have on Marshawn Lynch’s physical performance. Nutritionists and dieticians pointed out how the candy was effective for him, touting the benefits of glucose and fructose for athletic performance, even the psychological benefit of eating something your mother said was good for you.
