redbull.com/us/en/athletes/1 … randmaster
When will the USCF article come out on it?
I’m not sure it merits editorial coverage.
Now, if Red Bull wants to buy an ad in Chess Life . . .
We can agree to disagree. He’s our #1 player, has been for some time. And it would be a positive piece of promotion showing that our top player (and our only hope for a WC run) was able to secure a well known sponsor.
We have CLO articles on topics of much less value…
How about Red Bull enhancing the prize fund of the U.S. Championship so that their horse will be willing to run in it? Too late this year but how about next?
IMO, of course it warrants publicity. Sponsors should feel like they’re getting ROI.
On reflection, it might be worth mentioning in an appropriate context, durign discussions of the business side of chess. An unfiltered pass-through of PR would just be unseemly.
I concur on your final point.
Let’s see, our top player is being sponsored by a company selling a sports drink with known side effects. Is this what we want to trumpet to our youngsters who play chess?
I will be happy to play someone who has consumed Red Bull or any other energy drink with its extra caffeine, sugar, and herbal stimulants. Their increased nervousness, rapid eye movements, tics, and sweating are a precursor to mistakes. The extra added sugars cannot be good for you either. Heart arrhythmias at any age also cannot be good for you. This drink is heavily abused by young people and is not one that should be recommended as part of a healthy life style or typical sports regimen.
Maybe this drink can get past the FIDE drug testing ban for stimulants.
All good points! One popular drug store chain age restricts products such as Red Bull and Five Hour Energy. This same drug chain is also taking a big financial hit soon by ending tobacco sales. Bobby Fischer refused to endorse a product that he did not use. I wonder if GM. Nakamura really drinks Red Bull? And if he doesn’t, will he imbibe as he prepares for his upcoming battles?
Perhaps one of you folks would care to write an article for CLO expanding on the pluses and minuses of Naka’s new relationship with his sponsor? That would be an interesting article while at the same time publicizing the sponsorship. I do not know the first thing about Red Bull; however, I just googled “red bull sugar-free,” and apparently they make a sugar-free version. After googling “red bull caffeine,” a link pops up that says a can has about 80 mg of caffeine, about the same amount as a strong cup of coffee. What’s the major issue here? Is there something more sinister about this product which ten seconds of googling doesn’t expose?
Doesn’t Carlsen sip juice during his games? Talk about sugar… My amateur understanding is that the brain needs a steady dose of glucose for optimal performance, anyway. And would not many of us rather play chess with a bit of caffeine in our systems rather than not.
I think the big story here is that Naka secured any sponsorship at all. Yea, it would be great if, say, Apple or Google sponsored him, but one must start somewhere. Red Bull doesn’t seem like the devil – perhaps it is, but my ten seconds of googling didn’t confirm this – so good for Naka and good for chess.
Maybe you should do more than 10 seconds of googling to see the downsides of these energy drinks. There are many reported side effects. Is this what we want to promote to our young players, that they consume possibly damaging products with caffeine and other stimulants? Do you think it is a good idea to give shots of caffeine to children? I guess you think that the USCF should explore a potential sponsorship with Natrol, too.
Okay, I did a little more reading about Red Bull here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull
The most controversial ingredients are taurine an glucuronolactone. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about these:
Now, I assume that there are enough Red Bull skeptics in the world that Wikipedia would at least have a section to explain this controversy.
I also just read this article: http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=130751 that discusses problems with Red Bull. Apparently some kids drank the drink and died. But there was just correlation, not causality, and two of those kids mixed Red Bull with alcohol (apparently a common and risky practice that has nothing to do with Red Bull’s ingredients).
I’m not a Red Bull drinker. I drink only moderate amounts of caffeine, and I couldn’t handle the stuff. I don’t have a strong opinion about the drink. But I like to see U.S. chess players get sponsorship; it’s a great step for Naka. Please, if you can find a scientific study or anything that can prove that drinking Red Bull is actually worse for one’s health than, say, drinking coffee or Pepsi, then I think you have a story and a legit controversy. But let’s celebrate Nakamura’s industriousness here. I would like to expose any problems with Nakamura’s sponsorship if possible. If none can be found, then let’s celebrate this achievement. Since some here on this forum claim Red Bull as controversial, then let’s do our due diligence and get any potential problems out of the way. Then we can all say, “Go, Naka!”
Well, as long as you are going to use Wikipedia (!) as your authoritative source, note that the EFSA has been criticized for using industry analysts rather than independent testing for various products. It has also been criticized for having board members from the same industries it is investigating.
But hey, why let science and good health get in the way of product endorsement. If Nakamura is looked on as a role model by our young chess players, it should be no problem for the youngsters to drink high doses of caffeine and other stimulants while they play chess. Parents should be completely at ease that their kids are safe because their kids are drinking Red Bull. If they collapse or can’t sleep, we can point to some European industry backed studies to allay their fears. (sarcasm mode on)
Is it not passing strange that the Red Bull headquarters in Austria are unmarked and heavily guarded?
Please post links to more authoritative sources than Wikipedia to show that Red Bull is harmful. For example, I’d like to read about independent tests other than the European tests quoted at Wikipedia.
As far as high doses of caffeine to kids is concerned, Coke, Pepsi and Mountain Dew have been available for decades. Red Bull is an “adult” drink. Naka is an adult. To claim that Naka is irresponsible for promoting Red Bull is like saying he’s irresponsible for promoting Budweiser.
I’m not trying to be difficult here. I want to support Nakamura, and as a good skeptic I’d like to get all the facts on the table so I can give him my support. So far I’ve read nothing scientific to refute my nominal (perhaps ignorant) belief that Red Bull is nothing more than a processed drink (like soda) that is okay in small doses but potentially harmful (if abused). I don’t want my kids drinking too much Pepsi, any alcohol, etc. … and on that note, I wouldn’t want them drinking Red Bull, either. But that doesn’t mean it causes bad things to happen when used in moderation. At least my limited research has not show this nor has there yet been links posted here by the skeptics to lead me to the appropriate reading material.
In this post you compare Red Bull with Mountain Dew and Pepsi then claim Red Bull is an Adult drink. Earlier you mentioned that a can of Red Bull has the same amount as a cup of coffee. You also admitted that you don’t drink Red Bull. Am I now to conclude that coffee is an Adult drink?
I drink a wide variety of caffeinated beverages including Red Bull. I weigh around 235 or so and I can easily handle the small can( 8.33 oz). The 12 ounce can is a bit much and as for the largest can…Well forget about it! From my personal experiences with Red Bull, I believe there are more stimulants than caffeine in the can. While it is good that you applaud GM. Nakamura in obtaining a sponsor, there is no need to defend a product that you do not even personally use.
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Meantime, I think CLO got it about right. I could have done without the words “and exciting” in the first paragraph, but that is mere quibbling.
Now, if Red Bull wants to buy an ad in Chess Life . . .
Or if Red Bull wants to be a sponsor for future U.S. Opens, U.S. Championships, or other national championships, then one would have a
corporate sponsor for these events that could in affect be your Guarantor Against Loss (GAL). Also keep in mind that we have a soccer team here
in the NY Metro Area called “The Red Bulls” that is part of Major League Soccer. So if Red Bull wants to expand their “Target Market”, let them!
Respectfully Submitted,
David A. Cole, USCF Life Member, Franklin, NJ
Somehow I suspect Lindsay Vonn’s recent Red Bull photo shoot will sell more product than Naka’s.
As someone with a job and travel schedule that dictate sometimes a pick me up I actually like Red Bull. The advantage of it is you feel like you are on something for sure, and still have an awareness of your tiredness and the fact that you’re on something. But that feeling is different from some other drinks where you lack that awareness and could drink several before you know what hits you and you have real problems.
I agree kids shouldn’t drink it (just as they shouldnt drink coffee really either at a young age).
But with that said, it’s not the end of the world for someone to drink occasionally, and it’s better than some alternatives, but of course not as good as a healthy 8 hours of sleep every night and a relaxing hike/run every morning.
Source: Someone who drinks 10-15 redbulls a year. Sometimes only half of the can when i buy it.