Why Gatorade’s Trolling Of Kyle Monangai Was The Sleeper Moment Of The Year
The Chicago Bears‘ 2025 season will go down as one of the most memorable in franchise history. There were too many moments to count during the season. You had Tyrique Stevenson’s pivotal forced fumble against Dallas, Jake Moody’s redemption in Washington, Colston Loveland’s catch-and-run for the winning score in Cincinnati, Caleb Williams to Cole Kmet to put away Philadelphia, and, of course, the bomb to D.J. Moore to beat the Packers at Soldier Field. Let’s not forget the 4th and 8 throw by Williams to kickstart the comeback over Green Bay in the playoffs. However, perhaps one of the unsung moments of the year involved Kyle Monangai.
Chicago’s rookie running back was a revelation this past season, going for over 700 rushing yards and five touchdowns. There were plenty of great runs, but his best moment came by total accident. During the wild card game against the Packers, cameras caught Monangai on the sideline looking to get a drink of Gatorade. Unfortunately, he had the bottle flipped upside down, spraying liquid everywhere. Luther Burden, who’d been sitting next you him, completely lost it.
Kyle Monangai wouldn’t escape that blunder unscathed.
Later that week, Burden came into the locker room with a paper bag in hand. He met Monangai at his locker and presented him with it, saying that Gatorade had gotten him a gift. Confused, a way Monangai took the bag and looked inside. Immediately, he smiled and looked at Burden like he wanted to shove him. Inside was a new Gatorade bottle, but with an additional feature. Written on the cap were the words, ‘This Side Up.’ It was a brilliant bit of trolling on the company’s part, no doubt appreciative of the unintended advertising that clip from the game produced.
Aside from being a priceless bit of comedy, Bears fans should look at the deeper meaning of the moment. Here the two players are. They’re both rookies. It’s a playoff game against the Packers on national TV. One would think Kyle Monangai and Burden would be nervous and stern. Instead, they take the time to laugh it up over a blooper. That was the first indication that the moment wasn’t too big for them. Being able to find the fun in little moments like that is often what separates good players from everybody else.
The Bears’ 2025 draft class is shaping up to be one of their best in years. Three players made an immediate impact, while a fourth (Ozzy Trapilo) began to look like a viable starter before getting hurt. If they all can build on this past season, this team becomes so much more formidable in the near future.