Of all the different fields Nike has tapped into over the years, one area it's yet to explore is the sports drink market. Now, thanks to Oregon Live, we're learning that a Nike sports drink almost happened in the early 2000s before Phil Knight pulled the plug on its development.
According to former Nike employee Mark Jensen, the drink was close to being greenlighted before Knight stepped in. In fact, the recovery beverage was actually being developed in the famous Nike Innovation Lab and was set to thrive off a partnership with Coca-Cola Co., but Knight didn't think it quite fit with the brand's image.
"Phil Knight was nervous he'd go by a fun run and he'd see a sports drink bottle in the gutter with a Swoosh on it. That's what I was told," Jensen said.
Although Nike ultimately wasn't interested, that didn't stop Jensen from following through with his vision, and after a few hiccups, the drink — now rebranded as Gleukos — is proving to be a success. It's currently sold in Dick's Sporting Goods as well as a number of golf, biking, and running specialty stores.
