According to sources such as CNBC, Nike’s Finest Maria Sharapova may be nearing a deal to endorse Enlyten SportStrips, an electrolyte supplement that is something of a competitor to Gatorade (picture those Listerine Cool Mint Oral Strips and the scads of copycat products that came out a few years ago; except these provide you with electrolytes). Sharapova signed a deal with Gatorade in January of 2007 which paid her $900,000 annually over two years, but now that that deal is coming to an end, Gatorade had hoped to keep Sharapova on at a discounted rate, which did not please her.

Enter HealthSport, the parent company of Enlyten. In a deal that would give Sharapova an annual salary in excess of what Gatorade has offered as well as a piece of the company, Enlyten hopes to make Sharapova the face of their product (joining Jason Taylor as the only professional athletes on the Enlyten roster). While this is a solid business move for Enlyten, they might get some personal pleasure out of slighting Gatorade as well. Enlyten signed an endorsement deal a year ago with the Buffalo Bills, but when Gatorade got wind of it they went a-tattling to the NFL that they were signed on as the “official electrolyte replacement” of all NFL teams. Not only did this end Enlyten’s relationship with Buffalo, it put the kibosh on deals Enlyten had been working on with several other NFL teams. That battle has since moved to court and has yet to be resolved. Pics below from Nike.com.hk. Above is an Omega watch ad. I’ll take ten thousand.