A majority of sports fans across multiple leagues—from NFL to pro tennis and NBA to NASCAR—say it’s acceptable for cannabis companies to sponsor teams, according to a new survey.
In light of the fact that more sports leagues allow marijuana-related sponsorships and have started to relax their policy on players using cannabis, a poll conducted by Performance Research & Full Circle Research revealed either a majority or plenum support in allowing cannabis brands to partner with teams.
The majority of fans from nine sports leagues were in favor of CBD-related sponsorships as opposed to „THC brands.” However, neither type of partnership was objected to by the vast majority of NFL, NBA MLB, MLS UFC NHL Pro Tennis Pro Golf NASCAR NASCAR.
This is the percentage of fans in those sports leagues that say CBD sponsors are „completely acceptable” or „mostly acceptable”.
- MLS: 73%
- UFC: The 68-percentage rule
- Pro Tennis: 64 %
- NHL: 62%
- Pro Golf: 62%
- NBA: The 60 per cent discount is available.
- NASCAR: 56 percent
- NFL: 55%
- MLB: 55%
The percentage of people who are ok with THC sponsoring sports teams is shown below.
- MLS: The 69-percentage
- UFC: The 60 per cent discount is available.
- NHL: 55%
- Pro Tennis: 53 percent
- NASCAR: 53 %
- NBA: The 50 Percent Discount
- Pro Golf: The 49th percent
- NFL: 46 Percent
- MLB: 46 percent
This survey was conducted from April 23 to 26 and included 1o00 sports enthusiasts over 21 years old in 24 states that allow recreational marijuana.
Sports Business Journal was the first to report on these results. Jed Pearsall is president and founder at Performance Research.
The outlet reported that the survey also showed that a majority of sports fans’ perceptions of leagues and teams are either positively affected or unchanged due to cannabis sponsorships—though it also found that only 17 percent are aware of any such specific partnerships.
Pearsall: „I’m sure that those who are in sales can sell this opportunity aggressively, and sponsors should know these opportunities will always be welcomed wherever they end up.” Sport has the ability to normalize something, which is great for cannabis marketing and its industry.
Since then, the major sports leagues, in conjunction with their professional associations and policy modifications for the players, have gradually reduced the stigma surrounding cannabis.
As an example, NFL and its union recently agreed to reform marijuana policies. Fines for positive test results were reduced significantly, while the THC level for players was increased.
About four years after NFL ended the practice of suspending players over cannabis or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement, the league has again revised its Substances of Abuse Policy and Performance Enhancing Substances Policy.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) last year voted to remove marijuana from its banned substances list for Division I players.
The reform builds on a 2022 change that increased the allowable THC threshold for college athletes, aligning NCAA’s rules with those of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
In October, Nevada regulators officially adopted a rule change that will protect athletes from being penalized for using or possessing marijuana in compliance with state law.
The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) blasted the „unfair” ban on marijuana for athletes competing in international sport events, including the Olympics that were underway in Paris at the time of the comments.
USADA CEO Travis Tygart has said that it is „disappointing,” WADA’s continued prohibition of cannabis based on a justification he thinks to be misguided.
WADA did carry out a review into its marijuana policy at the request of USADA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) following the controversial suspension of U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson, who was barred from participating in the Olympics in 2021 after she tested positive for THC. Richardson claimed she used marijuana to deal with her recent mother’s death.
While UFC announced in late 2023 that it was formally removing marijuana from its modified banned substances list for athletes, the league notified participants that the reform didn’t apply under California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) rules.
UFC informed fighters about the possibility of a $100 fine from CSAS if THC levels were higher than 150 nanograms in milliliters before UFC 298 took place.
At the beginning of 2024, the Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty entered into partnerships with a CBD beverage company—the first teams in the NBA and WNBA, respectively, to forge deals with the cannabis industry.
The New York-based clubs are partnering with Mynd Drinks, a hemp-based CBD sparkling beverage company that also made history last year when it became an official partner of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Chicago Cubs.
Last year, NFL announced it was partnering with Canadian researchers on a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of CBD for pain management and neuroprotection from concussions—key issues for many football players who experience injuries as part of the game.
Separately, NFL and the Denver Broncos last year asked a federal court to reject a player’s lawsuit alleging discrimination over penalties he incurred due to positive THC tests from his prescribed use of a synthetic cannabinoid.
The team and league filed a joint motion for dismissal in the U.S. District Court for District of Colorado defending their marijuana policies for players. Both sides affirmed that cannabis usage can result in on-field injuries and poor job performance as well as „alienation of their fans.”
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