Everybody has their vices. Women, wine, gambling. For my entire 36 years, I've been a slave to the green stuff. No, not money. Lemon-lime Gatorade.
When I was born with a milk allergy, our doctor in Miami suggested my parents feed me a new sports drink on the market, a sweet substance loaded with carbohydrates and sodium. Invented in 1965 by Dr. Robert Cade at the University of Florida for the school's football team, Gatorade quickly became the gold standard of sports drinks, which it remains to this day. The Gatorade brand is one of the most recognized in the world, and has even spawned the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, which studies the way athletes' bodies react to hydration. As for me, I became addicted early on. In my 13,000-plus days on this earth, I'd guess there are probably less than 50 of them in which I haven't had at least a sip. When I was a kid, I would get sick every summer at camp if I would go more than a few days without it. I'm convinced my body requires it for normal function. As I became involved in youth athletics, I drank more and more, and somehow never lost the taste for it. I'm convinced it even subliminally drove me into a career in the sports business. And the love affair continues into my mid-life. I often consume an entire small bottle with my lunch, and enjoy a tall, cold glass every night with dinner. In short, my comfort food is a comfort drink. I can't imagine life without it.
2 comments:
this should be a commercial.
Great early memory. Let me only add that the young and recently licensed pediatrician, Dr. Steve Levinson, had been one of those responsible for the initial development of Gatorade while in Medical School. He was very excited about putting it to the test in his new practice. It worked beautifully. -Pop
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