The NFL season is well underway, the NBA is preparing for opening day, and MLB is heading towards the World Series. But the championship bout for leadership in the sports drink space is neverending, and Chicago-based GoodSport is now making a drive to prove it’s a contender.
The hydration beverage brand produces a line of drinks made with 1600 mg of electrolytes, B vitamins, deproteinized milk and prebiotics in each 16.9 oz. bottle, touting that it has less sugar and three times the electrolytes of competing brands. Available in six varieties, which according to founder and CEO Michelle McBride were recently reformulated to improve flavor, the brand is making a deeper push outside of its Midwest home turf in an effort to expand its reach as a national brand.
GoodSport launched in retail in the Chicagoland area in 2021 with a presence in Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s and several independent grocers. Since then, the brand has grown its reach into 1,400 stores nationwide, with its core focus still in the Midwest with Walmart stores in Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan being its key account.
More recently, the brand has now rolled out into Texas with Central Market stores, and McBride said the Lone Star State will be a top priority in the coming year. In addition to the region’s hot weather, McBride noted that Texas’ sports culture and the prevalence of outdoor activities year-round lends itself to the brand’s messaging as a better-for-you hydration drink for active consumers.
“Looking at all of our opportunities moving forward, [we’re] really looking at retailers who cater to our core consumer,” she said. “It’s retailers to cater to consumers looking for more premium products because they care about the ingredients in them and the greater functionality.”
Expanding in gyms and fitness centers is another goal for GoodSport, McBride added. Meanwhile, the company is also extending outside of the U.S. for the first time, beginning sales to the Middle East this fall.
As is the norm for the sports drink space, athlete partnerships have become an increasingly important pillar for GoodSport’s marketing strategy, and the company has hired a full-time director of athlete and team engagement to expand its sporting world deals.
In July, the brand brought on Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens as a partner in the business. Though Owens has frequently moved around the NFL (he’s played for Arizona, Houston and Green Bay), his move to Chicago for the 2024-25 season has been a fortuitous home field boon for GoodSport as Owens becomes a local ambassador for the brand.
McBride said Owens’ involvement has already helped improve the brand’s awareness and credibility with retailers and consumers. Following the premiere of the latest season of HBO docuseries Hard Knocks this summer, which featured Owens as part of the show’s focus on the Chicago Bears’ training camp, McBride said GoodSport received a number of calls from retailers and other athletes interested in getting involved with the business.
“Consumers are savvy these days, and they know that athletes endorse various different products,” she said. “It hits different when there’s an authentic story behind it, it builds credibility and it builds your consumer base and your consumer community itself. And so that’s what Jonathan has helped us do.”
Besides Owens, GoodSport has also received investment from NBA star Thaddeus Young and Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead, and has partnered with other athletes including USA Olympic Rugby medalist Naya Tapper.
The brand is also an official hydration partner of the Chicago Sky WNBA team.
As the hydration drink space expands with the rise of brands like PRIME and Electrolit, and other early-stage competitors such as Barcode and Coco5, McBride said she’s hoping the brand’s focus on functionality and ingredients – backed by an Arizona State University research study – can help it stick out and make the case to consumers that it’s a superior electrolyte product
“You don’t have to take our word for it; take these world renowned scientists’ word for it,” she said. “We use that in our communication strategy and our communications platform, and it is, candidly, what consumers find when they’re researching.”