Teams in Major League Baseball (MLB), the main American baseball league, are now allowed to be sponsored by CBD brands.
MLB officials told team marketing executives on a conference call this week that CBD companies are now an “approved category,” so long as the companies can prove the products have been certified by the NSF regulatory body and that the THC levels are within regulatory limits.
So far only the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), at a pro level, authorized sponsorship by CBD brands, the other sports leagues still fearing the amalgamation with cannabis.
In March 2021, the UFC announced a five-year partnership with Love Hemp Group, which provides CBD and hemp products worldwide.
Noah Garden, Chief Revenue Officer of MLB, reportedly said the league has had its eye on the CBD category for some time and that three to five brands are in the process of trying to obtain NSF certification.
CBD brands that enter into agreements with MLB teams or with the league itself will be able, similar to the rules governing sports betting advertisements, to run advertisements during broadcasts of MLB games.
Some American athletes have already taken the plunge into sponsorship with CBD, including golfer Bubba Watson, soccer player Megan Rapinoe and former NFL star Rob Gronkowski.
MLB removed cannabis from its list of prohibited substances in December 2019, the idea being to treat cannabis the same as alcohol.
