The Cubs are the first MLB team with a CBD sponsorship and will be the first to sell CBD products at their ballpark through a new deal with Mynd Drinks, according to Sports Business Journal. Chicago-based Mynd hopes to be selling its hemp-based beverages at Wrigley Field to 21+ consumers as soon as today through Levy Restaurants Wrigley Field concessions. Fans at Wrigley will not be able to miss the new sponsorship, as Mynd will have on-field branding along both the first- and third-base lines, along with a sign in left field, and in-game features, social an digital, including and a meditation content series. With the amount of inventory, it figures to be a large deal and will be interesting to see if it catalyzes others across MLB.
It is the first CBD sponsorship by any team among the big stick-and-ball sports. MLB signed a league deal with Charlotte’s Web last October after opening the category for sponsorships in June. “It’s great to be first and we’re appreciative of MLB’s efforts there,’’ Cubs VP/Corporate Partnerships Alex Seyferth said, adding that he has been working on the deal since last summer, “but it was just important to find the right partner and we think we have found a connection that will help the brand and us.’’
With the designation as the Cubs’ “Official CBD Partner,” Mynd is aiming its drinks squarely at the health and wellness space. Cubs radio play-by-play announcer Pat Hughes will narrate a “guided meditation” on YouTube today, and the Cubs will be releasing a “Sounds of Wrigley Field” Spotify playlist today.
Possible use of Cubs marks on packaging, possible player involvement, along with on-line and brick-and-mortar retail promotions are all TBD. The deal was done directly, with no agencies. UFC has sold CBD sponsorships, as has NASCAR’s Richard Childress Racing. All of the other major North American leagues have prohibited CBD sponsorships, largely due to the stigma associated with psychoactive cannabis (marijuana).
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