A water man (Photo courtesy of Lite 106.7).
Were their water boys in the NFL of the 1920s? Where did the concept come from? How has “watering” changed over the years? Get the lowdown on water people, below!
Also, for all things historical, make sure to take a look at my other articles here!
The Origin Of The Water Boy:
References to water boys date back to the 1800s. Primarily, boys were tasked with the job of keeping everyone else hydrated at work in a farming or plantation context. On a plantation, slave male children distributed water to other slave workers.
A song that has its origins in the cotton plantation folk tradition is called Water Boy. This was similar to many other water boy calls built on the phrase “Water boy, where are you hidin’?” Singing was a critical form of communication for slaves on American plantations, and the importance of music such as Water Boy cannot be emphasized enough.
This song has been the origin of many other renditions in various genres of music, like jazz, blues, and folk music. Interestingly, different sections of this musical piece have a melody that resembles some popular classical music, a Jewish marriage song, a Native American song, and a German tune as well.
Apart from farming, boys were used to distribute water in other locations. Water was a necessity for many agricultural machines, for example. Other work settings, like a railroad, would require boys to keep their workers hydrated. This, of course, was not a purely American concept. Other cultures, like India, also have these types of workers documented around the same time in history.
Water Distribution In Football
The first reference to a water person on the job in football dates back to a college game between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869. We don’t know who the boy was, just that he was watering a Rutgers player. The most prominent water distributor to date goes to President Herbert Hoover, who was Stanford’s first individual to be employed in this role.
As we know, water people is a more apt term for the water distributors of today, as it is hardly just the role of boys anymore. partially because of amped-up labor laws and partially because of greater inclusion in sports as it pertains to gender.
However, the term “water boy” will likely be the colloquial term for ever due to the history of the term and unique cultural references such as the aforementioned song and movies like Adam Sandler’s “Water Boy”, a truly iconic sports comedy classic from 1998.
How Has Watering Evolved Over The Years?
Water distribution looks different. It’s no longer a well-drawn bucket that everyone sips from communally. For most teams, it’s the sports bottle that squirts water directly into the mouth of the athlete.
Water boys are rarely boys at this point because of labor laws. The position is usually an entry-level job or internship that generally requires a high school diploma. It’s not actually clear what the ideal or required experience is for a person wanting to get this job. Keeping the job is a little more obvious. Make sure everyone has enough water to drink.
Another difference would be pay. Most boys on farms were related to the farmer and wouldn’t receive compensation. The slaves, of course, got nothing. Water distributors today make $53,000 on average. Sign me up!
