With the rapid expansion of CBD’s popularity and use across the American landscape, athletes and sports organizations have started to adopt the cannabis products just as celebrities and state governments have.
The non-psychoactive hemp and cannabis compound has shown the preliminary signs of being useful for fighting inflammation, chronic pain and forms of epilepsy, which has caused a surge in general interest and sponsorships within sports circles. Most recently, the U.S. Triathlon organization which
Mixed martial artist Nate Diaz made headlines when he lit up a CBD blunt before a prominent fight recently, and Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots recent sponsorship by CBD company Abacus Health Products. [2] [3]
The World Anti-Doping Agency, which dictates drug and doping policy of the UFC and other prominent sports leagues, recently announced CBD wouldn’t count as a banned substance under its guidelines. [3]
“You know what’s crazy to me, the best part about this whole thing is … I got kicked out of school for fighting and selling weed. And now for a professional career I’m fighting and selling CBD,” Diaz told TSN. [3]
Gronkowski extolled the benefits of Abacus’ product line CBD Medic, which he said he used when he faced repeated injuries during his NFL career as a tight end. [2]
“Once I retired, I looked for better and more natural ways to recover and discovered CBDMEDIC,” Gronkowski said. “These products have helped me safely manage pain better than anything else I’ve tried. Building on my own experience with CBDMEDIC for pain, I’m inspired to work with the company to introduce new CBD products to the market.” [2]
Most recently, the New York Times has reported that the U.S. Triathlon has become one of the first organizations of its type to allow its athletes to use cannabidiol, or CBD. [1]
According to the Times, about 15% of the Triathlon’s budget comes from sponsorships, and the organization has found the World Anti-Doping Agency and the UFC as positive examples.
The national governing group of the U.S. Triathlon has a special sponsorship with Pure Spectrum, a company that sells CBD lotions, tinctures and oils.
“I understand what these athletes go through on a daily basis, from the stress leading up to a competition, or training, the breakdown their bodies experience,” Pure Spectrum chief executive Brady Bell told the New York Times. “What better market to prove this on than on the most healthy and educated athletes?” [1]
Sources
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/20/sports/olympics/usa-triathlon-cbd.html
[2] https://www.nothingbuthemp.net/post/former-patriots-star-rob-gronkowski-turns-to-cbd
[3] https://www.nothingbuthemp.net/post/nate-diaz-and-cannabis-in-mixed-martial-arts
