MLB signs first CBD sponsorship for major sports in deal with Charlotte's Web

CBD has made another move into the marketing mainstream, thanks to Major League Baseball. The league today announced that Charlotte's Web, which makes hemp-based CBD, has struck an exclusive, multi-year sponsorship that makes it the “Official CBD of Major League Baseball.”

CBD, which stands for cannabidiol, does not produce a high by itself and it has been federally legal since the federal Drug Enforcement Agency in 2019 declared that cannabidiol at or below the 0.3% THC threshold is not considered a controlled substance. But the CBD industry’s gains in sports marketing have been slow.

MLB says it is the first major professional sports league to form a sponsorship agreement with a CBD company. Leagues outside of the big four of baseball, basketball, football and hockey have opened their doors to CBD in recent years. In 2019, Craft 1861 became the first CBD company to sponsor a team on the track in the Indianapolis 500. Last year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) struck a five-year sponsorship with U.K.-based CBD brand Love Hemp.

MLB first cleared the way for CBD deals in June. The league today stated that Charlotte's Web underwent a “rigorous approval process” that involved “strict independent testing to uniquely meet MLB’s scientific benchmarks and no-banned substances policy.”

'A landmark partnership'

“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,” Jacques Tortoroli, CEO of Charlotte’s Web, said in a statement.

The sponsorship will feature a Charlotte Web product called “SPORT – Daily Edge,” which it says is certified by NSF, an independent group that establishes product safety standards. As part of the sponsorship, Daily Edge will feature the MLB silhouetted batter logo on its bottle. It is the first offering from Charlotte’s Web’s SPORT line, which will also include gummies, topicals and oral sprays, the company announced. 

Daily Edge will launch on Charlotte’s Web’s e-commerce platform today, just as the MLB postseason heats up. 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,” the company stated. 

“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, MLB's chief revenue officer, said in a statement.