Football is a business. We heard that phase many times throughout the lockout as the NFL and the players negotiated with each other to get “back to football.”
Now as we are enjoying week five of the game of football, the business of football is still making headlines and impacting players on and off the field. Most notable is the issue of HGH testing and how and when testing should be implemented (even congress has decided to put its nose in that one; must be an election coming up).
A more subtle issue being discussed in team locker rooms, lunchrooms and by team registered dietitians (Sports RDs), Strength Coaches and Athletic Trainers is the impact the business of football is having on what supplements players put into their bodies.
Gatorade and the NFL have a long-standing relationship, and it’s hard to think of a product that is more integrated into a sport than the way that the Gatorade Shower of winning coaches has been for the last 25 years. But recently, that relationship has expanded from the sidelines to the locker rooms, a move that is causing some players, and those that work with them, concern.
According to our sources, the league recently informed the NFL teams that they will no longer be allowed to either fund or supply any supplements that are not specified in the NFL’s agreement with Gatorade.
The change in policy went into effect this season (prior to the end of the lockout) and follows the signing of an extension of the sponsorship agreement between the NFL and Pepsi, including Pepsi’s Gatorade brand.
Last month, the NFL announced a 10-year extension of the relationship between PepsiCo brands and the NFL, extending through the end of the 2022 NFL playoffs. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal could ultimately be valued at $2.3 billion, making it one of the largest sponsorships in the history of U.S. sports.
We spoke with a veteran Sports RD, Dave Ellis, who counsels numerous athletic programs on nutrition (www.daveellisbio.com). For the past 30 years, Ellis has worked with many of the top athletic programs in the country, including the NFL and college football. We discussed this new limitation on supplying supplements to NFL players.
Ellis says he and many of his colleagues are concerned that the new supplement restrictions limit the ability of trained Sports RDs to do their jobs and best help the athletes.
“If you work for the team, in a full time or part time capacity, you cannot be engaged in funding or supplying anything other than Gatorade products,” Ellis explained. “And no slam on Gatorade, but the bottom line is that is a pretty spartan toolbox, in our opinion as health professionals.”
He says this is not a criticism of Gatorade products, but rather the fact that Gatorade doesn’t make a complete line of supplements that address all the players’ needs. Currently he says there is no provision to allow teams to supply products from other manufacturers where there isn’t a Gatorade equivalent.
At the top of Ellis’ list of missing supplements that have traditionally been given to help elite athletes in the NFL, and which are not available in a Gatorade equivalent, are “Omega 3 [fish oil] a source for concussion vulnerability and anti-inflammatory; vitamin D sources for our low vitamin D athletes, especially minority athletes; a sugar-free, low carb protein source for our pre-diabetic athletes, which we have a bunch of in our big lineman population.”
Since the team is not able to supply the supplements, the ability of Sports RDs, Strength Coaches and Athletic Trainers to deliver the supplements at the best time to maximize the benefits is greatly hampered. For example, some supplements are best taken right before or after a workout, which is while the player is at the team facility, or best taken with a meal such as at lunch.
In addition, if players are forced to go out on their own and buy supplements, they may take the easier route and go retail, increasing the chances of getting non-certified products which are not assured of meeting requirements related to drug testing. For many supplements, the certified products are in limited supply and available only by going directly to the manufacturer
Ellis explained that, “We were hoping to see the right to fund or supply certified products carved out, much like MLB did. Instead we now have a pile of assorted protein powders by the blenders that athletes are bringing in that we just cannot vouch for the safety of, when it comes to banned substances.”
As part of their 2005 CBA, MLB agreed to put in place a Strength and Conditioning Advisory Committee whose charter included establishing “standards applicable to all Clubs concerning the availability of food products and nutritional supplements for Players in Major League clubhouses.”
Ellis explained that MLB developed a streamlined process for manufacturers to get their supplements certified by working directly with NSF, the organization that does the “Certified For Sports” banned substance certification (www.nsfsport.com). Ellis explained that this process was simpler for approval, compared with the old NFL program which required working through the league office and took more time.
“The MLB program has outgrown the NFL program in a few short years with their new process,” Ellis said. “The NFL is moving in the other direction.” The 2005 CBA put more safe and effective supplements at the disposal of MLB Sports RDs, while it appears that the new NFL/Gatorade deal will be taking options off the table.
