Major League Baseball Partners With CBD Brand in ‘Historic’ Deal

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and…CBD?

America’s pastime is getting in on with one of the country’s hottest trends, with Major League Baseball announcing on Wednesday that it is teaming up with Charlotte’s Web in what is being billed as the first sponsorship deal between a major professional sports league and a CBD brand.

The multi-year deal between the league and Charlotte’s Web, a CBD company based in Colorado, includes a line of MLB-branded products and will result in “increased CBD visibility to their professional athletes, millions of fans and communities,” Wednesday’s announcement said.

MLB said that it “officially opened the category for the league and its Clubs allowing sponsorships with CBD companies that are NSF Certified for Sport,” a program that assesses whether supplements contain any ingredients that are banned by professional sports leagues.

“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,” Noah Garden, Major League Baseball’s chief revenue officer, said in a statement.  “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.”

Jacques Tortoroli, the chief executive officer of Charlotte’s Web, echoed those sentiments, saying the company applauds “MLB for being the first-mover in professional sports CBD and are thrilled to welcome their league as a respected strategic partner.”

“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,” said Tortoroli.

John Travis, the principal technical manager of NSF, said the organization “is proud to play a role in this historic next chapter of America’s favorite pastime.”

“MLB showed great trust in the NSF mark earlier this year when it named NSF Certified for Sport® as the standard CBD brands must meet in order to sponsor MLB and its teams. The Charlotte’s Web and MLB partnership promotes clean sport and closely aligns with NSF’s mission to improve human health worldwide,” Travis said in a statement.

Under the terms of the agreement, “Major League Baseball now becomes the first major professional sports league to form a sponsorship agreement with a CBD company,” while Charlotte’s Web is now the first “Official CBD of Major League Baseball,” according to the announcement.

The press release provided more background on the partnership: “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 presented by Capital One through marketing, media, and ballpark activations that connect to the league’s fan base of over 180 million Americans.”