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Johnny Damon is officially founder and CEO.
The former All-Star outfielder for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox launched his own sports drink brand, A-Game, with the goal of offering healthy hydration to young athletes.
Damon was inspired to create his own healthy sports drink after several young athletes died while training for sports in very hot conditions in the summer of 2012, including one in his home state.
Two 16-year-olds, Isaiah Laurencin in Florida and Don’terio J. Searcy in Georgia, were among five high school students who collapsed after exerting themselves in high temperatures, prompting a lawsuit by their parents against their respective high schools, The The New York Times previously reported.
Damon was playing his final MLB season in Cleveland at the time, and the stories resonated with him.
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Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees bats against the Florida Marlins on June 25, 2006, at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Focus on sport/Getty Images)
“A lot of kids were falling,” Damon told Fox Business in an exclusive interview. “It was a very hot summer here in central Florida and we lost some kids. I mean, they died from dehydration. You can blame the weather. You can blame the coaches who told them to go running. But if they don’t put the ingredients in right on your body, it won’t work.
Damon was motivated to grow a product that could feed and protect other young athletes with the hydration and nutrition necessary for training in extreme heat conditions. Last summer’s historically high temperatures made Damon even more motivated to launch such a product.
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“Last summer was also a scorcher and it seems like it’s getting hotter and hotter, but we just wanted something that could really help people,” Damon said.
For Damon, the most important factor in creating his own drink was eliminating any potentially harmful chemicals, including Allura Red AC, also known as red food coloring. The chemical is known to cause organ damage in mice in experiments and has even been associated with behavioral problems in children, such as ADHD, inattention, hyperactivity and restlessness.
A-Game only uses natural sea salt as electrolytes and natural honey as a sweetener and includes eight essential vitamins.
Johnny Damon of the Tampa Bay Rays against the Chicago White Sox on April 9, 2011 at US Cellular Field in Chicago. (Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images/Getty Images)
Damon says his drink’s ingredients are partially inspired by the nutritional philosophy of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who will serve as President-elect Trump’s health secretary in the next administration.
However, the biggest inspiration for Damon’s philosophy was the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Rays, the team he played for in 2011.
“The (Rays) coaches had to make sure the best players stayed on the field,” Damon said, adding that the team’s payroll restrictions prevented him from fielding a well-paid bench like the big-market teams he played for. previously.
“When we had a hot game somewhere away from home, they made sure we had our Gatorade packs, and they made sure we drank when we got to the clubhouse and also right before the games so we were hydrated and didn’t have to come. “The Tampa Bay Rays training room was absolutely the best I have ever been in.”
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Johnny Damon of the Boston Red Sox before Game 1 against the Anaheim Angels at Edison International Field in Anaheim, California on October 5, 2004. (Robert Beck/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Damon also said that the food Tampa Bay offered its players was heartier and heavier than the food his previous teams offered, which he said increased his strength and allowed him to hit the ball farther at a younger age. advanced. They fed the players pasta, steak and chicken, and he made sure to drink plenty of milk.
For Damon, the experience with the Rays’ dietary choices reinforced his belief in not eliminating any major food groups from his diet, like many other professional athletes who completely eliminate dairy and gluten. Damon believes in eating any food that is naturally derived, but stays away from anything artificial.
“Our origins go back to cavemen, so you have to eat meat. You have to have vegetables. You have to have fruit. You have to have all those things,” Damon said. “There are truly wonderful things in the world and we can’t waste money on fake products that won’t benefit humans.”
Damon hopes his sports drink can help deliver that philosophy and benefits to young athletes looking to perform at their best.
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