BevBlog

Brian Urlacher, who wore a Vitaminwater hat to a Super Bowl XLI media event, ended up being hit with a $100k fine as Glaceau is not an official NFL sponsor. In any event, Glaceau offered to pay the fine and Urlacher declined. So instead, Glaceau donated the funds to the United Way…Certainly a more noble use of $100k anyway.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601079&sid=ah_3cfHA5LBA&refer=home

Reports have surfaced that Dietrich Mateschitz — the owner of Red Bull — may be secretly negotiating to buy one of the holiest sports franchises of them all, the Montreal Canadiens.

Mateschitz is no stranger to sports team ownership. He’s got the New York Red Bulls (nee Metros) soccer club, a Formula One team, a NASCAR team and a hockey franchise in the Austrian Hockey League in his home country. The Red Bull brand was also built at least partially on the strength of its sponsorship of “extreme” athletes and their sports.

But there’s branding, there’s team ownership, and then there’s the Canadiens — a team that, although it missed the playoffs this year, has won more professional titles than any other, in any professional league.

How would the “Habs” fans’ react to Mateschitz’s habit of renaming his acquisitions after the brand? Likely, the same way they would if someone spiked their poutine with the actual beverage.

YouTube Energy Drink videos. Trust us.

Here’s one to get you going…