How CBD Is Introducing Itself to Basketball

0
1575
CBD

In 2018 Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz, founders of the Big3 league, made a big announcement. They would be allowing the players in their league to use CBD. This announcement instantly set them apart from other professional leagues. The Big3 would be the first professional sports league to allow CBD. Others would later follow but the Big3 is first.

This year, as the Big3 gets into the stride of their third season, audiences may notice a new CBD presence as cbdMD can be found on the players’ jerseys, behind the bench, and on the screens around the stadium. In April, the Big3 announced that cbdMD would be the first CBD sponsor of the league. In a statement, Chief Marketing Officer of cbdMD, Ken Cohn, said, “As we continue to witness an increase in interest regarding CBD among both athletes and sports enthusiasts alike, we see the BIG3 as a dynamic, strategic partner for cbdMD and a pathway to engage those who could greatly benefit from CBD.”

An increase in interest is a modest way to put it. People are now searching for more information about it than cannabis. Basketball players who have publicly stated that they use CBD include Lamar Odom and Al Harrington, both players in the Big3. And the number of athletes who have come forward saying they use it is astounding. cbdMD itself has sponsorships with Bubba Watson, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Ken Block, and Lolo Jones.

CBD has a pretty good reputation. The cannabinoid works together with the body’s
endocannabinoid system, which manages homeostasis. The system has receptors in it that are responsible for pain, inflammation, mood, and more. CBD works with those receptors to help the body’s overall well being.

Since CBD is anti-inflammatory, many basketball players are turning to it to help them recover after tough games and prepare for hard workouts. Others are using it to get a good night’s sleep or help relax after shooting threes, or in the case of the Big3, fours. Research is ramping up to discover all of the ways that CBD can be of use, but there are plenty of anecdotes and case studies that show that it can be very useful.

With the Big3 allowing their players to use it and the cbdMD sponsorship, CBD is making its
way to being seen as a viable option for basketball players to use to stay strong mentally and physically. The NBA currently still prohibits it from being used by their players. However, former NBA commissioner, David Stern, has stated that he believes that medical marijuana should be removed from the banned list and current NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said that he’s open to learning more about the science behind medical marijuana and potentially letting players use it.

While medical marijuana and CBD are not the same thing, many advocates think that this may open the door for it. CBD and THC are in the same family and come from the same plant. But that’s where many of the similarities stop. CBD is non-intoxicating so you won’t feel a “high” like you would with THC. While some athletes may worry about failing a drug test, that won’t happen if your CBD is THC-free. That may be one of the reasons why cbdMD was the chosen sponsor for the Big3. cbdMD uses a unique broad-spectrum extraction process that completely removes the THC while leaving in all of the other good parts of the Hemp plant.

Big3 games are on every Saturday and Sunday on CBS and CBS Sports. Look closely next
time you watch a game. You may see CBD there.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here