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Few things are as synonymous with football as Gatorade. From athletes rehydrating on the sidelines to players dumping a whole bucket of the drink on their coach after a championship win — as Pro Football Hall of Fame Coach Mike Ditka once said, “If you’ve never had a Gatorade bath, you haven’t done anything very exceptional.”
Thirty-seven years after Bill Parcells’ Gatorade shower at Super Bowl XXI, the brand (along with the game itself) continues to evolve. Gatorade has launched a free membership-based platform called Gatorade ID which lets users personalize equipment (like your own custom squeeze bottle) and gives them access to exclusive merchandise drops, like the Gatorade and DJ Khaled co-branded capsule collection which sold out.
In celebration of Super Bowl LVIII, the brand put its technology on display for an activation during which athletes at all levels (from future first ballot Hall of Famers to college stars to high school prospects) could come through and customize water bottles, hydration products, and even towels, to name a few.
“They made custom bottles real fast,” Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders exclaimed, comparing it to how fast his jeweler made his custom “Legendary” diamond necklace.
Sanders also gave Rolling Stone a preview of the upcoming season for the Colorado Buffaloes. Year one for Deion Sanders’ Colorado project had its highs and lows: The Buffaloes went 4-8 with flashy wins that ignited a media firestorm, but still ended the year with eight losses in their final nine games. Shedeur says this year will be different.
“We only really lost two real games for real, the other games we could have gone fifty-fifty,” the Colorado quarterback says. “The team this year compared to last year is completely different. The attitude is different. You got people willing to fight over each other just by holding people accountable. There’s no hating, no none of that going on…because if that’s the case, you got to be gone.”
At the immersive activation, Bills receiver Stefon Diggs, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett, and college star Sanders talked to Rolling Stone about the rare Gatorade flavors they like, their all-time favorite sports moments, and what kind of music they’re listening to right now.
Courtesy Gatorade
What’s your favorite Gatorade flavor?
Diggs: I’m a glacier guy. I like some of the OGs. I like the lemon-lime when I’m working out. It’s got to be cold though. I won’t drink it if it’s not cold.
Lawrence: Rainberry. It’s an old flavor they don’t make anymore. Now, I drink mostly Gatorade Fits. Typically, during the season I’ll drink stuff with a little bit more sugar and electrolytes, in games or practice, but during the offseason I’ll do the G-Fits. Little less sugar. It’s a little bit more mild.
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Garrett: Cool blue. I don’t have a sweet tooth but I like sweet flavors and that’s one that stuck with me since I’ve been hooping for a long time.
Sanders: Orange is my favorite flavor. But, when we did the mystery flavor, that one was really good too.
What music are you listening to these days?
Diggs: My everyday is usually old R&B. The last song I listened to was “All you got to do is say yes…” Alright that’s enough. I’ll be tuned in for Usher.
Lawrence: Zach Bryan has been big for a while now, I heard he’s actually in town this week. I’ve been listening to him a lot. Maggie Rogers is great. I love Post Malone. Greta Van Fleet is really good.
Garrett: I’ve been listening to Imogen Heap and a lot of Daft Punk. But I also go back to my classics like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Al Green. I like to mix it up a lot. I’m an Usher fan. I’ll watch the show, I don’t know if I’ll watch the game.
Sanders: I listen to Deion Sanders Jr, Shedeur Sanders, and Shilo Sanders. That’s really the main thing.
Who is your dream Super Bowl halftime show performer?
Diggs: I feel like it already took place but if there was anybody left that I would love to see, it’s probably Jay. That’s my favorite artist of all time. If Jay got up there, I think it’d make us all happy…he can’t miss.
Lawrence: I love Chris Stapleton. Him doing the national anthem two years ago, that was incredible. I would love to see Freddie Mercury when he was still alive and Queen was still around. I love Queen.
Garrett: I’d like to see Silk Sonic do it. I love Silk Sonic. They bring back that classic funk sound but a new modern influx of energy and way of doing things. It’s kind of like a throwback but it really hits home.
Sanders: Deion Sanders Jr.. Because me and Shilo [Sanders] are going to be playing in [the Super Bowl] one day. So Deion Sanders Jr., he can record during the game, then at halftime, he can go get dressed and perform, and then after he performs, go back out there and record. It’s a lot of work but it can happen, it’s legendary.
What is your all-time favorite sports moment?
Diggs: The game Reggie Bush played against Vince Young…just seeing those two at that time, they were the best athletes in the world. I understand the NFL and all that, but before I got to the NFL, I was just a college football guy. Reggie Bush was my favorite, and Vince Young was always like, if I played quarterback that’s who I wanted to be like. When they went head-to-head, Texas versus USC? That was big for me.
Lawrence: I got two probably: winning the National Championship in college was awesome. And as a freshman too was incredible. And last season, winning the wild card game, the playoff comeback, that’s honestly hard to beat.
Garrett: Ali beats Foreman, Rumble in the Jungle. It had such a deeper meaning for sports, for African-Americans and how they viewed themselves. There was a contrast between people actually from Africa and then Black people from the United States and who was representing them at that time. It was a real political battle as much as it was a boxing match.
Sanders: I’ll say when we were at Jackson State. My dad wasn’t there because he was dealing with his foot problems. He finally came to the Southern game. At the end of that game, we won. That was his first game back and it was just crazy. A surreal moment.
What are some travel essentials you need when you’re on the road?
Diggs: I got to have my lotion for my hands. Toothpaste for my teeth, I have to keep them halfway decent. I have to have some type of digestive enzymes or something because I have the weakest stomach in America. [On Diggs’ viral flossing video:] Don’t judge me, don’t judge me. I had some oranges, everybody knows oranges get stuck in your teeth. I knew my mom was watching and I didn’t want to get embarrassed.
Garrett: Toothbrush, toothpaste. Tongue scraper. Floss. Have to have my water, have to make sure I have my headband. Book. Laptop. Phone, keys, wallet!
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Sanders: Definitely a toothbrush. We care about hygiene here, good soap. What I don’t have is chargers. I have a couple phones though. You have to have a charger but I don’t do that honestly. You should though, I’m not living right.