Sticky, summery watermelon has always been associated with lazy days. Perhaps that's partly because back when the fruit came crammed with seeds (roughly 85 percent of watermelons sold today are seed-free), all that spitting couldn't be rushed. Whatever the reason, a wedge of watermelon tends to conjure up memories of creekside picnics and muggy evenings on the front porch. It's not usually associated with vigorously sacking an unsuspecting quarterback.
But the South Carolina Watermelon Association is now making a major effort to position watermelon as an ideal gameday snack. If the group had its druthers, participants in today's college football bowl games would repair to the sidelines for a watermelon slice or cup of sweet watermelon puree instead of a chemically manipulated sports drink. The goal is not just to enhance gridiron performance but to set an example for the 150 million Americans who exercise regularly.
"Athletics is such a huge market that the fruit and vegetable industry hasn't tapped into as much as it could," says Matt Cornwell, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture's watermelon commodity specialist. "When I was growing up, we had orange slices, and that was it."
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