Prince Harry & Meghan Markle Spotted With Gatorade Players of the Year at ESPYs

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were spotted with the Gatorade Players of the Year at this year’s ESPY Awards. The Duke of Sussex was on hand at the end to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service, which ESPN awarded to him for “his tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community” through the Invictus Games, which he founded.

The royals were just two of many A-list celebrities on hand with Sadie Engelhardt and Cooper Flagg as the 2023-24 Gatorade Best Female and Best Male Players of the Year, distinguishing the duo as the best high school athletes in the nation.

“I was so excited to win Gatorade National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year, and now to be named Best Female Player of the Year is crazy to me,” said Engelhardt in an exclusive statement to RetailWire. “All the athletes in this group are amazing, and I’m so honored to be here celebrating our hard work on and off the field.”

“It’s an honor to take home this award, and having it handed to me by some of the biggest names in basketball makes it even better,” added Flagg in an exclusive statement to RetailWire. “The list of former Best Players of the Year speaks for itself, so it’s special to put my name next to theirs.”

Previous winners of the honor include Jayson Tatum, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Karl-Anthony Towns.

“Our Gatorade Player of the Year class embodies the future of sport, so we’re energized to celebrate their accomplishments and bright futures during this one-of-a-kind experience,” said Gatorade president and general manager Mike Del Pozzo in a statement. “For decades Gatorade Players of the Year have gone on to have incredible success both on the field of play and in their communities, and we can’t wait to see what these athletes do next.”

The announcement of the Best Player of the Year marks the pinnacle of an unmatched Player of the Year Awards journey, which included a week-long celebration in Los Angeles for the 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year — the finest athletes in high school sports. The immersive week is intended to recognize and celebrate their accomplishments in a way that only the sports drink can, from “photoshoots and first access to the latest Gatorade iD Drop to an exclusive celebration with a performance by Lil Yachty and their favorite pro athletes and opportunities to give back to the next generation.”

In addition to bringing its Players of the Year to local sports organizations across Los Angeles and providing a grant to donate to a social impact partner, the brand’s limited-edition Drop, which was co-created with UNINTERRUPTED and which Engelhardt and Flagg were the first to model, was only available to the 12 National Players of the Year. Limited-edition Gatorade-branded track jackets and towels, as well as T-shirts, limited-edition snapbacks, and Gx bottles, comprise The Drop. It is now offered for sale on the brand’s free membership platform, Gatorade iD, as of Friday, July 12.

Gatorade and ESPN have a long history of co-branding. In 2004, the sports drink offered a special flavor to mark the network’s 25th anniversary.