The Gatorade 'G' commercial that drives you crazy

January 5, 6:28 AMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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One of the very few joys of watching televised sports live is the occasional new commercial that catches my eye. I try to avoid live broadcasts at all costs specifically to avoid commercials but when you want to write real-time about a playoff game there is no choice.

Lo and behold I found a new spot that left me wondering what company or organization had paid for it. Even re-running it on my Tivo didn't help me identify the sponsor.

The images of great sports champions and legends from across the sports spectrum were flashed on the screen. That got my attention and I waited for the punchline -- you know, like "Just Do It." Not only was there no tag line but no product image appeared.

The voice-over went on and on about what the letter "g" might mean when describing these people or their accomplishments. It got me crazy.

I finally realized it wasn't a Nike commercial when I saw athletes that endorse other brands. Then I thought it was vaguely religious since one of the words the letter "g" could stand for, according to the disembodied voice is a "lower-case god."

I was forced to go to the Internet and finally found out I wasn't the only confused person out there. It was a Gatorade spot. AdWeek had a good article on the company's change to their product line, its commercial style and the public's reaction to the confusion isn't pretty. Check out the commercial below if you haven't seen it.

Oh, and BTW: The voice-over is Lil' Wayne.