Although The Smiths frontman Johnny Marr once said America’s pastime was only worthwhile if cannabis was involved, many baseball fans don’t agree. According to a recent poll, baseball fans were the least likely to consume marijuana among all major sports. Fans of eSports, UFC, and Formula 1 Racing had a far friendlier relationship with cannabis.
A Morning Consult poll surveyed between 252 and 1,269 self-identified fans of multiple major sports and how often they consumed vices, such as tobacco and cannabis. Although multiple sports leagues prohibit cannabis use and promotion, the poll highlights a growing branding opportunity for professional athletes involving marijuana and CBD products.
About 35% of eSports and UFC fans regularly smoke or ingest marijuana. Racing fans also gravitated to cannabis: at least 30% of F1 and MotoGP fans were normal users. Fans of America’s Big Four sports leagues — NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL — were less cannabis friendly than fans of most other sports.
Sport organizations won’t allow players to sign sponsorship deals with marijuana companies, although professional athletes can freely do so with beer and spirit companies. But leagues have recently opened to the use and promotion of CBD among players. Big name golfers like Bubba Watson, Charley Hoffman, Scott Piercy, and Lucas Glover have signed CBD-related sponsorships without penalty.
It’s simple to understand what motivates players to sign such deals—the Untied States CBD marketplace generated $4.1 billion in sales last year, cannabis research firm Brighfield Group reports. Only racing athletes join professional golfers with permission to promote CBD products. However, Sports Business Journal reported in July the MLS could soon allow teams to sign CBD company sponsorships.
A recent NFL analysis concluded that while “CBD is a promising compound […] the extent of its use in the United States outpaces the level of evidence.” That lack of evidence appears the main conflict traditional sports leagues have in associating with cannabis or CBD products. Added NBA Commissioner Adam Silver: “When we change our policy we have to be really careful because we’re clearly sending a message to young people.”
While a significant portion of most fanbases use cannabis, the leagues would rather leave that possible sponsorship money behind at the moment.
“As much as I would love to sell as many categories and allow our clubs to sell as many categories to monetize, you start getting into health and well-being,” a top sponsorship executive at a major U.S. sports league told Morning Consult. “There’s a whole other part of the organization, including doctors, that look into the effects of that product. And so at this point, we are looking into it, but there’s nothing imminent.”
It took a camel for us to find out Nikola Jokic has never ridden a horse.
The Nuggets spent this week in Abu Dhabi playing a pair of exhibition games against the world-champion Celtics. Many of the Nuggets staffers made the trip, including their media team. As the players experienced life abroad, a few boarded camels, including Russell Westbrook and Peyton Watson.
A Nuggets reporter asked Jokic if he had been on a camel.
Renck: The fake games are over. Time for real impressions. The Broncos enter Week 1 with a new quarterback, a dramatically reshaped roster and the insatiable hunger that comes from being young and overlooked. Now that the roster is set, did coach Sean Payton morph into Gordon Ramsay and create a culinary masterpiece, or will the Broncos once again be devoured by superior opponents? Sean, what do you think? Will the Broncos win more than their sportsbook over-under total of 5.5 victories or fall below into an abyss that nets them a top-five pick?
Keeler: Ramsay? Sunshine Sean’s been as chummy as Bobby Flay lately, my friend. Mind you, he also hasn’t lost a game in eight and a half months, so let’s see what happens once the seas get choppy. That said, Payton’s a high-floor coach with a resume that doesn’t do tank jobs. I believe in the back of the baseball card. Or football card, in this case. Which is why I believe Payton cajoles, twists and drags this roster to seven wins — at the worst.
Renck: Maybe I spent too much time in the sun this weekend, leaving me with fever dreams of adequacy, but I believe the Broncos trip the over. My prediction before camp was six victories with a wink, wink. Now? Give me six with conviction. Bo Nix might as well be Bo the Builder as the Broncos’ construction project takes shape. I think the Broncos were better after the cuts. Losing Tim Patrick hurts, but it means more targets for Courtland Sutton, and Jaleel McLaughlin will emerge as the third-down back to replace Samaje Perine. It’s not like they broke up Don “Air” Coryell’s 1970s Chargers. Denver has plenty of weapons to flirt with mediocrity.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Speedy Jarren Duran describes himself as a player who keeps his head down, works hard and never thinks of himself as being better than anybody else.
Duran turned some heads in his first All-Star Game, hitting a tiebreaking two-run homer for the American League and being awarded the MVP trophy named after Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams.