Abby Wambach is increasingly loyal to her Gatorade endorsement, and she has plenty of reasons why.
While there's always the chance that a sip from the wrong soda can will strip an athlete of major sponsorship money (here's looking at you, Ronaldinho), Wambach isn't just staying with Gatorade out of fear.
On Sunday, Wambach moved bottles of Coke and Powerade away from the microphones where she was giving her press conference to protect her Gatorade endorsement, according to USAToday.com. But Wambach was also looking at the example of another high-profile athlete — one who is so tight with his brand that he apparently won't let a conflict of interest trump his health in big games.
"I love how LeBron [James] didn't even take a sip of Gatorade when he was cramping in the [NBA] Finals," Wambach said, according to USAToday.com.
James is now a supporter of Powerade, an affiliation that was loudly promoted even in Boston after James' Heat won the NBA title this year. James was in negotiations to pitch Gatorade coming out of high school but failed to land the deal when he asked for too much money.
Anyone wonder whether Powerade can magically heal someone from the flu mid-game, too? Wambach is betting that it can't.
