For the first time, an American professional sports team will publicly associate with a cannabis company. The Las Vegas Lights is an expansion team in the United Soccer League, and thanks to a deal with the local Paiute tribe, they can partner with the NuWu Cannabis Marketplace. The team will promote NuWu Cannabis at the home stadium, Cashman Field. The Las Vegas 51s, the New York Mets Triple-A franchise, also plays there.
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“We love Las Vegas, and we’re not embarrassed to support any business here,” team owner Brett Lashbrook told ESPN. “This is the right time and the right market to do this, and we’re not going to hide. We think this will be part of the destigmatization of this substance and business. This isn’t some shady guys walking around with hoods over their heads. This shop is closer to an Apple Store.”
We were going to wait till 4:20 pm, but we were just too excited 😏
We are proud to announce our partnership with @NuwuCannabis!
The first professional sports team in the U.S. to partner with a marijuana dispensary.ONLY. IN. VEGAS. pic.twitter.com/ItGhT7a4vn
— Las Vegas Lights FC (@lvlightsfc) April 13, 2018
Not only does NuWu Cannabis more closely resemble an Apple Store, it’s also the biggest marijuana store in the world at 5,800 square feet. It also operates a 24-hour drive thru. According to the vice chairman of the Chris Spotted Eagle tribe, the marketplace services more than 1,000 people a day through a combination of medical and recreational cannabis sales.
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How exactly the team will promote marijuana might prove tricky, due to federal laws regarding cannabis advertising to children. But Lashbrook expects the deal will lead to branded cannabis inside the store and Spotted Eagle indicated Las Vegas Lights paraphernalia is a possibility. Only in Las Vegas.
