Cannabis Company Seeks NFL Stadium Naming Rights

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One of Colorado’s largest cannabis retailers announced Friday – on April Fool’s Day – that it is seeking the naming rights to Sports Authority Field at Mile High, home of the Denver Broncos.

But it’s not a prank. Native Roots, which has nine cannabis storefronts throughout Colorado, hopes to replace Sports Authority, which currently has the naming rights to the stadium but recently filed for bankruptcy and may not be able to make the investments necessary to keep the rights.

Sports Authority has the rights, which cost between $6 million and $7 million annually, until at least 2020 unless the company decides to relinquish them or can’t afford the payments, according to the Denver Post.

Native Roots will formally apply for the naming rights later this month.

The cannabis company’s co-owner Rhett Jordan told the Post that Native Roots can afford the annual cost of the naming rights. If the company won the naming rights, officials said they would look into handing out joints and vaporizers to customers who are 21 and older.

While Native Roots may be able to afford the price and wants to do the deal, stadium and NFL officials are less likely to want to reciprocate, the Denver Post reported. So the possibility of “Native Roots Field at Mile High” will probably remain just wishful thinking.