Major League Baseball is often accused of being the least progressive of all the major professional sports, from its drug policies to its unwritten rules that limit expressions of passion, bat flips, competitive trash talk or questioning the umpires.
However, when it comes to the benefits of CBD, MLB isn’t running away from the gold rush that is coming. It has become the first major professional sports league to form a sponsorship agreement with a CBD company. Charlotte’s Web is now the first “Official CBD of Major League Baseball.”
Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc., a Certified B Corporation headquartered in Denver, is the market leader in innovative hemp extract wellness products, under a family of brands that includes Charlotte’s Web™, CBD Medic™, and CBD Clinic™. Today, the company jointly announced with MLB a first-of-its-kind exclusive multi-year strategic partnership that opens increased CBD visibility to professional athletes, millions of fans and communities.
Founded by the seven Stanley Brothers, the company ignited the CBD industry when it came to global prominence with the coverage of a young girl’s astounding reaction to its hemp extract. Advocacy by the company reportedly changed laws, public perception and research around the large-scale health potential of plant-based solutions.
NEW: The @MLB has reportedly made a first-ever sponsorship deal with the cannabis company Charolette's Web, which will become the “Official CBD of MLB."https://t.co/L6k3XoDTqu
— Kyle Jaeger (@kylejaeger) October 11, 2022
The rigorous approval process that brought the two legacy brands together fills a major gap in the sports channel for an NSF Certified for Sport portfolio of CBD products for players and consumers demanding safe, natural options to support recovery, help keep calm under pressure, and help sleep cycles and focus.
In June 2022, MLB officially opened the category for the league and its Clubs, allowing sponsorships with CBD companies that are NSF Certified for Sport.
“As a leader in the CBD category, with products that provide health and wellness benefits, Charlotte’s Web is a welcome addition to the MLB family, representing a landmark partnership in baseball and sports,” said Noah Garden, MLB chief revenue officer. “Charlotte’s Web products which receive the NSF Certified for Sport® designation have met the highest safety standards and can be promoted across MLB events and media platforms. We are excited about the possibilities this partnership offers as CBD becomes a more widely adopted part of the health and wellness regimen of our players and fans.”
The partnership celebrates the much-anticipated launch of Charlotte’s Web SPORT – Daily Edge, the first broad-spectrum hemp-derived tincture to be Certified for Sport by NSF, the highly respected global third-party organization that establishes standards for safety, quality, sustainability, and performance and certifies manufacturers and products against them.
Leveraging Charlotte’s Web’s scientific research, Current Good Manufacturing Practices and Certified B Corp principles, Daily Edge underwent strict independent testing to uniquely meet MLB’s scientific benchmarks and no-banned substances policy. Daily Edge will feature the MLB silhouetted batter logo on its bottle and is the first product launch from the new Charlotte’s Web SPORT line; it will also include gummies, topicals and oral sprays.
“The Charlotte’s Web and MLB partnership promotes clean sport and closely aligns with NSF’s mission to improve human health worldwide,” said John Travis, principal technical manager, NSF.
This historic multi-year agreement is the first league-wide partnership for Charlotte’s Web. The partnership makes MLB a strategic partner in Charlotte’s Web’s NSF-Certified for Sport line and underscores the long-term value opportunity of entering the U.S. CBD market, which topped $4.7 billion in total sales in 2021.
The inaugural Daily Edge tincture will launch via Charlotte’s Web’s eCommerce platform on Oct. 12, 2022, during the Division Series with an exclusive run for the MLB Postseason and, in 2023, the expanded product line will debut in retail sports and health and wellness channels.
Through the partnership, Charlotte’s Web will have a premiere brand presence at MLB’s Jewel Events, including All-Star Week, Postseason and the World Series through marketing, media and ballpark activations that connect to the league’s fan base of over 180 million Americans.
This is groundbreaking stuff and another example of how the sports world’s perception about marijuana use is changing.
“We applaud MLB for being the first-mover in professional sports CBD and are thrilled to welcome their league as a respected strategic partner,” said Jacques Tortoroli, CEO Charlotte’s Web. “Bridging our industry-leading brands with science, innovation, and education, this pioneering partnership validates Charlotte’s Web’s core business principle and founding mission to open access to safe, quality and consistent CBD through our proprietary hemp genetics and industry-forging vision.”
Cannabis Company And Major League Baseball Sign Deal For Charlotte’s Web To Be ‘Official CBD of MLB,’ Report Says
The plan is to promote the business at the upcoming World Series.
🇺🇸 #Cannabis 🌿⚾️🥧https://t.co/CW0jgM15FL pic.twitter.com/6NAA8pxts3
— Todd Harrison (@todd_harrison) October 11, 2022
Both organizations have committed to serving as Corporate Social Responsibility partners and advancing causes that promote quality of life for athletes and fans.
Athletes all over, especially former pros, have been advocating for the medicinal benefits of cannabis and CBD use in recovery and treating other conditions like anxiety.
“Nature is the most intelligent and advanced technology system in our world, and when we work with nature for health and innovate through the lens of community care, we can truly redefine what it means to be well as an athlete. This is game-changing,” said Jared Stanley, co-founder and COO, Charlotte’s Web.
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