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The Detroit City Football Club will have a new look when they take the pitch this season, thanks to a primary sponsorship deal with a local Michigan marijuana company.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the professional squad in the National Independent Soccer Association penned a deal with Lansing-based cannabis company Pleasantrees for naming rights of the team’s downtown Detroit practice facility and ad placement on the club’s official on-field jerseys.
We are incredibly excited to announce that we have teamed up with @DetroitCityFC as their Official Training Partner for 2020! Read more here https://t.co/TySSTFupAO pic.twitter.com/aQmbvhUnre
— Pleasantrees (@pleasantreesmi) January 30, 2020
“We’re excited to be partnering with a leader in a growing industry here in Michigan, especially one that is committed to the community,” Detroit City FC co-owner Sean Mann in a press statement.
In America’s growing legal weed industry, sports and cannabis have had a long but tenuous relationship. Despite marijuana’s popularity as a medicinal recovery tool and recreational intoxicant with minimal side effects, most pro sports leagues have taken an adamant anti-cannabis stance across legal and prohibition states. But as more and more athletes turn to cannabis, state legal weed sellers — including Pleasantrees — are picking up their own active marketing plans in turn.
“A partnership with DCFC was a natural fit, since it’s our mission at Pleasantrees to help people enjoy more of life’s pleasures,” Pleasantrees CEO Randall Buchman said in a press release. “DCFC has been building community and positive spirit for 10 years, and we are honored to be part of this club’s future as they continue to reach new heights.”
The 2020 season will also be the first time that DCFC fields a women’s team — with players from both squads slated to wear the cannabis-adorned kits at every game.
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