MLB Bans Bottled Water, Deems Gatorade the Only Acceptable Beverage

How ridiculous is this: Gatorade has been named the official drink of Major League Baseball, and that decree doesn’t just mean lots of advertising and lame mentions of the drink from sportscasters throughout games. It means that players can’t be seen drinking anything BUT Gatorade while in the dugout – not even a plain ol’ bottle of water.

From NJ.com:

Two signs on the doors leading from the visitors’ clubhouse at U.S. Cellular Field to the first-base dugout read, “NO BOTTLED WATER ON THE BENCH.”

What’s this? Athletes can’t drink water? Even in the humid Chicago summers?

Here’s the explanation I got:

Gatorade is Major League Baseball’s “official sports drink.” So instructions were sent that no player could be seen drinking anything but Gatorade in the dugout. Not even Aquafina, which is the “official water” of MLB. Not even bottles of water with the labels removed.

Furthermore, it was noted that if players did take bottled water into the dugout, all bottled water would be removed from the clubhouse as punishment. Um, wow. Brilliant. So now, not only are athletes forced to drink gross sugary junk instead of what nature intended when they’re dehydrated during a game, young athletes will be getting the message that Gatorade is what you’re supposed to drink when you’re thirsty. What’s next, watering crops with Gatorade? Seems like we’re headed that way.

Gatorade: “It’s got electrolytes!”

Link [NJ.com]

Photo credit: Flickr user scragz