Johnny Damon’s journey into healthy eating and local tragedy led him to create his own brand of sports drink

Johnny Damon is officially the founder and CEO.

The former New York Yankees outfielder and Boston Red Sox All-Star has launched his own sports drink brand, A-Game, focused on providing healthy hydration to young athletes.

Damon was inspired to pursue his own healthy sports drink after several young athletes died while training in extreme heat in the summer of 2012, including one from his home country.

Two 16-year-olds, Isaiah Laurencin in Florida and Don’terio J. Searcy in Georgia, were among five high school students who collapsed after exercising in high temperatures, prompting their parents to sue their high schools, The New. The York Times previously reported.

Damon was playing his final MLB season in Cleveland at the time, and the news was concerning.

CLICK HERE TO PLAY ONE OF THE GAMES ON FOXBUSINESS.COM

“A lot of kids are falling,” Damon told Fox Business in an exclusive interview. “It’s been a really hot summer here in central Florida, and we lost a couple of kids. I mean, they died of dehydration. You can blame the weather. You can blame the coaches for running around. But if they’re not putting the right nutrients in their bodies, it’s not going to work.”

Damon was inspired to develop a product that could fuel and protect other young athletes with the hydration and nutrition needed to train in extreme heat. Last summer’s high temperatures made Damon even more motivated to release such a product.

WILLIE MAYS BASEBALL GLOVE, EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS AND OTHER COLLECTIBLES AUCTION IN HONOR

“This past summer we had was very hot, and it looks like it’s getting hotter, but we wanted something that could really help people,” said Damon.

For Damon, the biggest factor in creating his drink was removing any potentially harmful chemicals, including Allura Red AC, also known as red food dye. The chemical has been known to cause organ damage in rats in tests and has been linked to behavioral problems in children, such as ADHD, disobedience, hyperactivity and restlessness.

IA-Game uses only natural sea salt for electrolytes and natural honey to make the sweetener and includes eight essential vitamins.

Johnny Damon of the Tampa Bay Rays against the Chicago White Sox on April 9, 2011, at US Cellular Field in Chicago. (Photos by Ron Vesely/MLB via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Damon says the ingredients in his drink were inspired in part by the dietary philosophy of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who will serve as President-elect Trump’s health secretary in the incoming 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.

“I [Rays] the coaches should have made sure that the best players stayed on the field,” said Damon, adding that the team’s salary cap prevented them from installing a paid bench like the big market teams they played for in the past.

“When we have a hot game somewhere, they make sure we have Gatorade packets, and they make sure we drink when we get to the clubhouse and right before games to get water so we don’t come. and problems like cramps. The Tampa Bay Rays training room was the best I’ve ever been in.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM

Johnny Damon of the Boston Red Sox before Game 1 against the Anaheim Angels at Edison International Field in Anaheim, Calif., Oct. 5, 2004. (Robert Beck / Sports Illustrated / Getty Images / Getty Images)

Damon also said that the food Tampa Bay provides to its players is bigger and heavier than the food his previous teams provided, which he said increased his strength and allowed him to hit the ball at an older age. They fed the players pasta, steak and chicken, and he made sure he drank plenty of milk.

For Damon, learning about the Rays’ food options reinforced his belief in not cutting out any major food groups from his diet, like many professional athletes who cut out dairy and gluten completely. Damon believes in eating any food that comes from nature but steers clear of anything artificial.

“Our origins go back to the cavemen, so you have to have meat. You have to have vegetables. You have to have fruit. You have to have all those things,” Damon said. “There are really good things in the world, and we can’t waste money on fake products that won’t benefit people.”

Damon hopes his sports drink can help bring that philosophy and benefits to young athletes who want to be at their best.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on Xand register at Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.