Beech Tree News Network

Having just come off the Indy 500, I had the question I have every year around the event: why do the winners drink milk? Every sport has its quirky traditions.  Hockey players grow beards in the post-season, baseball players don’t talk about a picture when he’s throwing perfect games, and Indy 500 winners drink milk in the winner’s circle.  Like any great story, this has escalation.

Louis Meyer began the hallowed tradition of milk drinking after his second Indy 500 win in 1933.  He sipped from a glass of milk, saying that his mother had told him a glass of buttermilk was the best thing to drink on a hot day.  I prefer water but I digress.

After his third 500 win in 1936, Meyer abandoned all sense of decorum.  He took a swig of milk straight from the bottle, likely disgusting everyone there rather than inspiring awe.  A photographer snapped a picture of Meyer drinking said milk, and it spawned into a tradition like no other.

It wasn’t until 1956 that the practice truly took hold.  Drivers now do it every year, but there was a hiatus between 1946 and 1955.  Today, every driver is polled before the race on their preference, and they can choose from whole, 2% or skim milk.  However, Emmerson Fittipaldi drank orange juice.  Why the swerve from tradition?

Emmerson Fittipaldi, who owns an orange grove, drank orange juice in the winner’s circle in 1993 before quickly chasing it with the traditional milk.  That combination sounded like it tasted disgusting.  Fittipaldi was booed for his crimes, but he got the last laugh.  He was honored by the American Dairy Association of Indiana last year.  Let no one accuse Big Milk of not having a sense of humor.

Each driver made their choice of milk should they have won the race.  This year’s winner, Marcus Ericcson, selected whole milk.  (www.sportingnews.com)  Each year, two Indiana dairy farmers carry out the “Winners Drink Milk” tradition in the victory circle of the Indianapolis 500.  The dairy farmers represent their colleagues’ hard and dedicated work to bring the nutritious drink to so many.  (www.winnersdrinkmilk.com) 

Below are the links to my podcast:

https://anchor.fm/andy-sullivan

https://open.spotify.com/episode/46rf9cLSCgmUxszluzbOC4?si=t0ozG2hMSQGy_adPM7G_TA

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blendertainment/id1541097172