Ever heard of the Super Bowl of Golf? You might think I mean the Master’s Tournament, but this golf game is played by professional athletes, none of whom are professional golfers. While it certainly doesn’t attract the media attention of the Super Bowl itself, this tournament is played by retired NFL players who certainly know how to put on a show.
Run as a charity event and annual meeting, the Super Bowl of Golf is on its 38th successful year, put together by the NFL Alumni Association. With the intent of raising funds for various local causes, the Super Bowl of Golf is preluded by local tournaments at each of the NFL Alumni branches across the U.S. While having a fun day in the sun and raising money for charities such as The Burned Children Recovery Foundation and Mary’s Place, the Pacific Northwest Alumni branch also added a little education this year.
As a way to raise charity funds, these events are sponsored by local businesses willing to host a booth and build a competitive team with their respective NFL Alumni member. This year, an exciting change occurred when a local Washington cannabis company, Green Lady, was welcomed to sponsor a booth and team. But they didn’t stop there. To help explain the medicinal benefits of cannabis, specifically for former athletes, Green Lady Shoppe served free, hemp-derived CBD tea to passing players and partners, and also offered CBD topical rubs and lotions for pain relief.
If you aren’t familiar with CBD, it’s a natural compound present in cannabis that is entirely non-psychoactive, meaning it will not get you high. The medicinal benefits of CBD have recently gained extensive popularity in the U.S., thanks in part to the CNN documentary Weed. Because CBD doesn’t affect your mental clarity or get you high, while simultaneously reducing pain and swelling, some see it as a potential cure for the opioid epidemic.
Mkristo Bruce, President of the Pac NW Chapter of the NFL Alumni, notes that many former players have found immense benefits using CBD for pain management. Even the NFL Player Association has come out in support of CBD. Considering the exhausting injuries delivered to players’ bodies year after year, coupled with the expectation to lead full, normal lives after retirement, a non-opioid treatment option is as good as it gets for many. With the turning of the political tides here in Washington state, alongside broader education surrounding the medicinal benefits of cannabis, MK and the Pac NW chapter thought it was the “right time” to bring in a cannabis sponsor.
To say the least, the event was a complete success, both for the charities and the first cannabis sponsor affiliated with an NFL-related event. Mike Redman, founder of Green Lady, shared that “every year, the Randall Morris Foundation is able to raise enormous amounts of money for these charities. Green Lady was especially honored to be a part of this event, considering a primary mission of ours is to help children in our community.” We can only hope more events and charities will allow the sponsorship or donations of a legal cannabis company. Applause goes to the Randall Morris Foundation and the NFL Alumni Association Pac NW for continuing to push the envelope, and finding new ways to improve the community collaboratively.
Re-posted with permission from Dope Magazine, Written by David Bailey
