Cannabis companies are looking to the Super Bowl in Arizona as a good way to get their brands out in front of more people and potentially grow the budding industry.
The 2023 Super Bowl will mark the second time the big game is being held in a state where recreational cannabis use is legal. But since the 2022 game in Los Angeles has less fanfare around it because of the Covid-19 pandemic, companies think the 2023 game in Glendale will be where they can really attract some attention.
Revenant, a cannabis brand founded by former NFL players Jim McMahon, Kyle Turley and Eben Britton, will be hosting a celebrity golf tournament that will not only raise funds for the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a national nonprofit with a mission to assist retired NFL players and their families who are in dire need, but it will be first open cannabis consumption golf tournament around the Super Bowl, McMahon told the Business Journal.
Marijuana smoking allowed on the golf course
“This will be the first time at a Super Bowl golf event where cannabis will be readily consumed,” McMahon said. “Everybody there will probably not be a cannabis user, and that is fine. I’m trying to invite guys I know who are good guys and like to have a good time.”
Some of the celebrities already connected to the Gridiron Greats Celebrity Golf Classic, which will be held at Anthem Golf and Country Club on Feb. 10, include Joe Montana, Mark Rypien, Morten Anderson, Johnny Damon and Jamir Miller.
McMahon, Turley and Britton all share similar stories about how they suffered from opioid addiction, that they said was caused from team doctors prescribing them pain pills after getting injured while playing in the NFL. They have said that cannabis use has helped them battle their addictions and help with pain management. Their brand’s message is focused on athletes.
“Our goal is to utilize our platform to send a strong message to the NFL, and other sports organizations that fail to recognize cannabis for medicinal purposes,” McMahon said. “Throughout our NFL careers and retirement, myself, Kyle Turley, and Eben Britton have witnessed first-hand the damaging effects of opioids and other harmful prescription medications on the bodies and minds of not only ourselves but fellow athletes alike.”
Last year the company had a booth at the annual Ditka & Jaws Cigars With The Stars Party in Los Angeles. McMahon said the NFL was aware that they were there and he said the plan is to hold events in every Super Bowl city going forward.
“We already started our plans for the Vegas event,” he said.
Consumption Park festival event at Super Bowl
While golf and former athletes are attractive to a specific demographic that travels to watch the Super Bowl, another cannabis marketing event is looking to connect with a larger and broader audience during Super Bowl Weekend.
Consumption Park will be a three-day long festival that will include musical performances, food, and technology demos, and attendees will be allowed to consume cannabis openly.
The event will be held Feb. 10-12 at the Phoenix Events Complex, a multi-acre property four miles south of State Farm Stadium, where the game will be played. Red McIntosh, one of the organizers for Consumption Park said cannabis will not be sold at the event, but attendees will be allowed to BYOB – bring their own bud.
“The big game weekend as we all know is the No. 1 weekend for advertising,” McIntosh said. “We wanted to shine the light on the AZ market from a cannabis standpoint and tell the story on the growth of Arizona since the last Super Bowl.”
Because the recreational cannabis industry is new and still growing, and advertising around the Super Bowl can get pricey, McIntosh said the event was created in a way to let companies do pop-ups and give their brands a stage, but without as big of a financial commitment. He said that Consumption Park is open to non-cannabis brands as well.
“We believe in the brands and the consumer relationship,” McIntosh said. “Our goal is to introduce new and disruptive brands that can help shape the industry and keep up with the ever-changing flow of the industry.”
McIntosh said this is just the start for Consumption Park. He’s already working on plans for the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas and would also like to create smaller versions of Consumption Park.
“Our goal is to pop up this year on 4/20 in New Mexico; Lake Havasu Fourth of July weekend. Somewhere special Labor Day weekend and of course Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve 2023 and then Vegas again for Super bowl 2024,” McIntosh said. “We’re already planning on going overseas and of course we’re looking forward to popping up in L.A. in 2028 for the Olympic Games.”
