Gatorade REPLAY Returns for Season Three to Feature Controversial Chicago High School Basketball Game

CHICAGO, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The award-winning, original program, REPLAY, created by Gatorade will return for a third season.  Gatorade REPLAY stages re-matches of classic games between some of the nation's best high school sports teams and gives former teammates the chance to prove once you're an athlete, you're always an athlete.  In its third season, Gatorade will reunite two South Side Chicago high school basketball powerhouses – Bloom and Brother Rice – whose 2000 super sectional game ended on a controversial call involving the game clock and a questionable last second tip in at the buzzer.

"REPLAY is a program that continues to grow in popularity because so many people can relate to wanting a second chance in sport in order to change an outcome," said Sarah Robb O'Hagan, chief marketing officer of Gatorade.  "From the football fields of Pennsylvania to the ice arenas of Detroit, bringing REPLAY home to Gatorade's headquarters to feature the immense basketball talent from the Chicago area is an exciting next step in the platform's evolution."

To prepare for their once-in-a-lifetime rematch, the Bloom and Brother Rice players will take part in a customized, 8-week training and nutrition program developed with the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) and the Gatorade Training Council, and implemented with the help of professionals from Velocity Sports Performance.  GSSI has worked with elite and professional athletes for more than 25 years and will help the Bloom and Brother Rice squads understand their individual fueling needs as athletes before, during and after their on- and off-court training sessions.

"We take the preparation for this game as seriously as the players do, and we will provide them with the exercise science and sports nutrition support our own roster of professional athletes receive from us," said Kim White, senior scientist, GSSI.   "We look forward to a well played game that reflects the effort, time, and dedication these players have committed to providing."

REPLAY/Season 3

The REPLAY game is tentatively scheduled to take place in early September with a game location, time and date to be determined.  A documentary about the Gatorade REPLAY journey produced by FOX Sports Net will also air nationwide this fall.

"We are excited to continue our creative collaboration with Gatorade for a third edition of REPLAY," said Read Jackson, FSN's senior vice president of production and executive producer of REPLAY.  "The soul of REPLAY is the storytelling:  memories are revisited, friendships are rekindled.  The show paints a deeply emotional portrait of the twists and turns the players' lives have taken since high school."

As the Bloom and Brother Rice players prepare for their game, REPLAY fans can follow their journey by visiting www.replaytheseries.com, the official home of REPLAY or the  REPLAY Facebook fan page.

REPLAY, a series of sports documentaries focusing on rematches between great rivalries, is based on an original concept from the creative teams at Gatorade and TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles.

About Gatorade

The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP), provides sports performance innovations designed to meet the needs of athletes at all competitive levels and across a broad range of sports. Gatorade Thirst Quencher® is backed by more than 40 years of research and is scientifically formulated and athletically proven to quench thirst, replace fluids and electrolytes, and provide carbohydrate energy to enhance athletic performance. The company's product portfolio is built around the G Series™, a 1-2-3 approach to athlete nutrition and hydration before (Gatorade Prime 01™), during (Gatorade® Perform 02 and G2® Perform 02), and after (Gatorade Recover 03™) training or competition. For more information, please visit www.gatorade.com.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 18 different product lines that each generate more than $1 billion in annual retail sales.  Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade – also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in over 200 countries.  With more than $43 billion in 2008 revenues, PepsiCo employs 198,000 people who are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose.  By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide.  For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

About FOX Sports Net

FSN is the nation's leading provider of local sports. Through its 19 owned-and-operated regional networks, FSN serves as the TV home to more than half of all MLB, NHL, and NBA teams. FSN's nationwide roster of regional sports networks includes FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports Carolinas, FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Houston, FOX Sports Indiana, FOX Sports Kansas City, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports North, FOX Sports Ohio, FOX Sports Oklahoma, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Tennessee, FOX Sports West, FOX Sports Wisconsin, PRIME Ticket, SportSouth, and Sun Sports. FSN produces close to 5,000 live local events each year, including more than 2,800 in high definition, making FSN the most prolific producers of HD Sports programming in the country. In addition to its thousands of home team games and a wide variety of locally produced sports programs, FSN televises national sports events and programs, including Pac-10 and ACC basketball and Pac-10 and Big 12 football.

SOURCE Gatorade