Johnny Damon’s food journey and a local tragedy led him to create his own sports drink brand

Johnny Damon is official Founder and CEO.

the previous New York Yankees The Boston Red Sox All-Star player has launched his own sports drink brand, A-Game, with a focus on providing healthy hydration for young athletes.

Damon was inspired to pursue his healthy sports drink after several young athletes died while training for sports in extreme temperatures in the summer of 2012, including one in his home state.

Two 16-year-old high school students, Isaiah Lorencin in Florida and Donterio J. Searcy in Georgia, were among five high school students who collapsed after exerting themselves in extreme temperatures, prompting their parents to file a lawsuit against their high school. The York Times reported earlier.

Damon was playing his final MLB season in Cleveland at the time, and the stories resonated with him.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXBUSINESS.COM

“There were a lot of kids falling down,” Damon told Fox Business in an exclusive interview. “It was a very hot summer here in Central Florida, and we lost a few kids. I mean, they died of dehydration. You can blame the weather. You can blame the coaches telling them to run. But if they’re not putting the right ingredients in their bodies, it’s not going to work.” “It’s up.”

Damon became passionate about developing a product that could nourish and protect other young athletes using Moisturizing and nourishing Necessary for training in extreme heat. Last summer’s historically high temperatures made Damon even more excited to bring out such a product.

Willie Mays’ baseball glove, rare photos and other collectibles are up for auction in his honor

“Last summer it was hot too, and it seems like it’s getting hotter, but we just wanted something that could actually help people,” Damon said.

For Damon, the biggest factor in creating his own drink was eliminating any potentially harmful chemicals, including Allura Red AC, also known as red food dye. The chemical is known to cause organ damage in mice in experiments, and has been linked to behavioral problems in children, such as ADHD, inattention, hyperactivity, and insomnia.

A-Game uses only natural sea salt for electrolytes, natural honey for sweeteners, and includes eight essential vitamins.

Dimon says the ingredients in his drink are inspired in part 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 salary caps prevented him from fielding high-paid bench players like the big-market teams he previously played for.

“When we had a hot game on the road somewhere, they made sure we had our Gatorade packs, made sure we drank when we got to the clubhouse and also right before games just so we would be hydrated so we wouldn’t come in. The Tampa Bay Rays’ training room was The best I’ve ever been.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Damon also said that the food Tampa Bay served its players was more substantial and heavier than the food served by his previous teams, which he says increased his strength and allowed him to hit the ball farther at an older age. They fed the players pasta, steak and chicken, and he also made sure to drink plenty of milk.

For Damon, experimenting with Ray’s family food choices reinforced his belief not to cut any major food groups out of his diet, like many other professional athletes who have completely abstained from dairy and gluten. Damon believes in eating all food from natural sources but stays away from anything artificial.

“Our ancestry goes back to the cavemen, so you have to eat meat. You have to eat vegetables. You have to eat fruit. You have to have all of those things,” Damon said. “There are really great things in the world, and we can’t spend money on fake products that won’t benefit humans.”

Damon hopes his sports drink will help bring this philosophy and benefits to young athletes looking to be their best.

Follow Fox News Digital Sports coverage on Xand subscribe to Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.