Darren Rovell's Gatorade blog

Operation Gatorade Chironja

Bringing the Xtremo subline of flavors (Mango, Citrico and Tropico) to the United States was a great idea and an unbelievable financial success for Gatorade. But there are still many flavors that are made by Gatorade internationally that are not available in the United States. Unfortunately, my favorite flavor is an international flavor. That's why I'm urging the people at Gatorade to bring Chironja to the United States. A Chironja is a hybrid of an orange and a grapefruit that is native to Puerto Rico. When I went there last December, I bought a couple of extra bottles. I would have bought a case if I had an opportunity to get it. If you have any suggestions for new flavors of Gatorade, please write in, and maybe we can convince the folks at PepsiCo to make it.

Gatorade in "The Longest Yard"

Gatorade is one of a handful of brands that has product placement in Adam Sandler's remake of the 1974 classic, "The Longest Yard." Here is a list of other recent movies that Gatorade has been featured in: "Kicking & Screaming" (2005), "Coach Carter" (2005), "Any Given Sunday," "Waterboy" (1998), "Jerry Maguire" (1997), and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" (1994).

Bow Wow Professes Love For Gatorade

Shad Gregory Moss, a.k.a. Bow Wow, opened up his fridge on a recent edition of MTV's Cribs. The most common item? "Lots and lots of Gatorade," Moss said. "That's my favorite drink." There are plenty of other famous people who slurp Gatorade all day long. The most unpredictable? Hustler publisher Larry Flynt.

Over the years, Gatorade’s dominance has led to the death of more than 100 sports drink brands. But that doesn’t stop brands from trying to take an infinitesimal slice of the marketplace. A Japanese company named Ajinomoto makes Amino Vital. They’ve taken to the sponsorship game, recently supporting golfer Stuart Cink and the New York Yankees. (I’ve tried it at races – it’s not too good.) Then there’s Elete, a liquid form of seaweed drops, and Ultima Replenisher, which has 25 calories per serving and no sugar (compared to Gatorade’s 28g in a 16 oz. serving). All of these guys know they won’t be taking down Gatorade any time soon,  but there is apparently enough of a business out there to get by. Over the next couple weeks, I will be profiling some of these other brands, include protein sports drink Accelerade.

GSSI opens lab in Canada

Gatorade announced yesterday that they are starting a Gatorade Sports Science Institute in Toronto. It will be the company's second facility devoted to research and education in hydration and nutrition science. The original Gatorade Sports Science Institute was built in Barrington, Illinois, in 1988. According to the news release, GSSI Canada will conduct research on the effects of cold weather on fluid and electrolyte loss during physical activity. The study will use ice hockey players. As you'll find out in my upcoming book, GSSI is one of the main reasons for Gatorade's success and makes it harder for another company to Out-Gatorade Gatorade.

Drink Gatorade, Rob Bank

Scores of athletes have downed Gatorade before running onto the field. Well, according to the Mail Tribune, a man named Monty Clifford Smith drank a bottle of lemon-lime Gatorade before robbing a bank in Medford, Ore., on Tuesday. It didn't help him run any faster. The 52-year-old Smith was eventually caught by the cops.

Gatorade or Tylenol?

We know that Gatorade helps dehydration, but what else does it do?

According to "Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures: 1,150 Ways to Prevent and Cure Common Ailments with Brand-Name Products," drinking Gatorade can relieve headache pain almost immediately.

I've never heard that one before. But here are a couple Gatorade remedies I have heard about, which are noted in my upcoming book, "The First In Thirst," which hits stores in mid-September in time for Gatorade's 40th Anniversary.

Gatorade is good for both alcoholic drinks and hangovers and has been used as bait for roach traps and to cure menstrual cramps.

Green's book also claims that a person can prevent sunburn using Cheerios and calm a raging sore throat with Hershey's Syrup.

More on Schools and Gatorade

Fresh off my post on discussing schools and Gatorade, the Daily Breeze in California is reporting that the Los Angeles Unified School District will enter a five-year, $26 million exclusive contract with Pepsi to provide water, fruit juice and Gatorade to students. It is believed to be the largest drink contract associated with middle and high schools. School board members have to approve the plan next month to accept the deal.

Gatorade In Schools

It’s a controversial subject that rarely gets any ink: Drink brands paying to get vending machines into schools. Gatorade’s owner Pepsi does it for its stalwart brand and for Gatorade as well. So too does Coke. It’s a huge source of revenue for the schools and some contracts even provide for incentives based on amount purchased by its students. But state governments recently have been looking at the contents of these vending machines trying to determine if what is being offered is healthy or not. Arkansas has banned machines in schools, while 17 state legislatures are looking into taking some action. Next week, Connecticut is expected to pass a bill that will ban soft drinks and junk food. But the bill would allow for diet drinks and sports drinks, which have half the sugar of soft drinks, to be sold. But in some schools and states, drinks like Gatorade are defined as unhealthy. Appalled by the fact that first graders at Pleasant Valley Elementary in Portland, Ore., were throwing out their milk and purchasing Gatorade instead, the school reportedly got rid of its Gatorade machines.

How Much Would I Save....

Every time I walk by the Gatorade powder in the supermarket, I always think about buying it. But I know I can’t mix it well, so I always pass by it. But for the sake of fun, let’s calculate how much money I would save in 2005 if I just bought powder instead of the ready-to-drink variety. I drink about eight 20 oz. Gatorades per week. They cost me $1.29 each, which is $10.32 a week and $537 a year. According to my calculations, I can make that 8,320 ounces of liquid with $67 worth of powder. So if I used the powder, I would save about $470. While Gatorade powder is profitable for PepsiCo, the makers of Gatorade, because they don’t have to ship the liquid, I have a feeling not that many people buy it. There's actually a company that specializes in Gatorade powder for sports teams: http://www.gatorexpress.us/