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Former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, the hard-charging running back with a fan-favorite "Beast Mode" nickname has long documented his love for Skittles. The former second-round draft pick has embraced a passion for the rainbow-colored candy, which has come to exemplify Lynch - the player and person. Lynch's connection to Skittles, from him eating them on the field during games, to commercials made based on this affinity, is one of the most interesting storylines in his life and career.

Who is Marshawn Lynch?

Marshawn Terrell Lynch was born on April 22, 1986, in Oakland, California, and is one of the most well-liked faces of American football. Lynch went to Oakland Technical High School, where he excelled in track and field as well as football, basketball, and wrestling. The skill Lagat portrayed on the football park took him to a terrific college career at the University of California, Berkeley where he played for the Californian Golden Bears football team. It provided the foundation for his incredible NFL career, which included stints with the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks, among others.

The Skittles Connection

Lynch developed his love for Skittles back in his days when he was just an innocent young lad playing youth football. Lynch told NFL Japan his mother would give him Skittles when he first started playing football. He continued this habit into high school, where he discovered that the sugar in the candy calmed his stomach when it was upset. That initial partnership with Skittles would ultimately evolve into a distinctive, lasting relationship that helped define his public persona.

Skittles on the Sideline

Skittles-fueled efforts by Lynch on game day became a national curiosity almost immediately. It became a testament to his relentlessness, a powerful image of him chomping on candy on the sidelines during games. Fans and commentators marveled at how, despite its overt atypical nature, this ritual seemed to power Lynch's unique style of play. The connection of Skittles to Lynch's performance became so strong, that fans even littered the field with Skittles in celebration after his touchdowns.

A Nutritionist's Perspective

At first glance, using candy to fuel and focus a professional athlete may seem unorthodox, though according to sports dietician and nutrition expert Emily Edison, it can be a beneficial form of carbohydrate supplementation for Lynch. She guessed that some sort of psychological edge to eating something important to Lynch, along with the fast energy release from the sugar and glucose in Skittles, might help explain why he seemed bigger than life on the field.

Skittles in Commercials

Lynch's affinity for Skittles grew beyond the football field to become part of popular culture. Lynch expressed his bottomless appetite for Skittles in a commercial where he used the candy as part of his training. This included Lynch powerlifting massive loads of Skittles and hauling a vat of the fruit-flavored pellets on a sled, further solidifying the one-of-a-kind relationship between athlete and candy.
Lynch's connection with the candy, which dates back to his childhood has turned it from a strange fascination into a quirky factoid of Lynch's career.

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