Gatorade and FOX Sports Net Announce Original Programming Partnership REPLAY Gives Nation's Biggest Rivalries a Chance to Settle the Score Once and For All

The Gatorade Company and FOX Sports Net (FSN) have announced a national broadcast and digital partnership to build on the success of REPLAY, the popular original program created by Gatorade that restages classic games from great sports rivalries. The Gatorade/FSN partnership will include the national broadcast of the inaugural season of REPLAY on all FSN affiliates as well as a fully integrated online presence at replaytheseries.com. Seasons Two and Three of REPLAY will also air nationally on FSN with extended programming in the featured rivalries' regional networks.

On Sunday, November 29, at 9:00 p.m. (check local listings), FSN affiliates nationwide will premiere a one hour special on REPLAY Season One: the Easton Area Red Rovers vs. the Phillipsburg Stateliners. The game was the 104th meeting between two of the nation's biggest high school football rivals and settled their 1993 game that ended in a 7-7 tie. The Easton, Pa., vs. Phillipsburg, N.J., game has been played annually since 1906 on Thanksgiving Day, drawing crowds of more than 20,000 fans each year. After undergoing an intensive 10-week training and conditioning program developed by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute and Velocity Sports Performance, the athletes, now in their early 30's, donned their helmets, strapped on their shoulder pads and laced up their cleats to participate in a full-contact, regulation game in front of a sold out crowd just as they had 15 years earlier.

"Gatorade believes once you're an athlete, you're always an athlete," said Dr. Kim White of the Gatorade Sports Science Institute. "REPLAY allows us to take our science from the lab to the field by leveraging our deep understanding of sports hydration and nutrition and the expertise of a variety of training partners to help prepare these athletes for another shot at glory. In addition, the REPLAY athletes will help us garner a deeper understanding of the needs of a variety of athletes."

The FSN debut of the REPLAY Season 1 special will follow the Easton and Phillipsburg players along their journey from pulled muscles and moments of doubt suffered during their 5 a.m. practices to the scorching 100 degree temperatures they faced on game day. Viewers will meet the players and witness the emotional milestones of their preparation as well as the experience of the "big game." REPLAY honorary coaches, Peyton and Eli Manning, will also appear in the special sharing their thoughts on the heart, hustle and soul their teams displayed.

"What athlete doesn't have a game or a moment they wish they could do-over?" said Peyton Manning, honorary coach of the Easton-Area Red Rovers. "Gatorade gave these athletes a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to not just relive a high school football game, but to take advantage of the same nutrition and training advice professional athletes like me benefit from everyday."

REPLAY, a series of sports documentaries focusing on rematches between great rivalries, is based on an original concept from the creative teams at Gatorade and TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles.

Rivalries Wanted
In 2010, FSN will air REPLAY Seasons Two & Three. Just like the Easton and Phillipsburg game, two storied rivals will compete. Next year's participants have not been chosen and Gatorade is searching for the country's fiercest rivalries that have a truly unique story. Interested athletes can tune-in on the November 29 premier for information on how to nominate their own rivalries for future REPLAYs.