SPORTS

STORY by MIKE GIANAKOS SPORTS SPORTS

Athletes are the new rock stars. Players from the four major American sports (well, three of them anyway) increasingly become major celebrities with massive social media followings, recognizable brands and, whether you realize it or not, a great deal of cultural influence.

Cannabis has long played a role in sports. Pitcher “Spaceman” Bill Lee was a loud and proud pothead in the ‘70s and old school NBA centers Robert Parish and Bill Walton were certainly known to partake. But as it’s become increasingly socially acceptable to consume, athletes have played a major role in bringing marijuana into the mainstream.

Likewise, the culture around Cannabis in professional sports is finally beginning to change as pot policies are relaxed. Of course, this shift coincides with changes in the legal landscape. There are 123 teams across the four major American sports (football, basketball, baseball and hockey) and 101 of them play in a state that has legalized recreational and/or medical marijuana (that’s over 80 percent).

Still, for a long time, the NFL was content to keep its pot policy in the dark ages, subjecting players to random tests and punishing them with suspensions.

Ricky Williams is probably the best-known example of an athlete embracing Cannabis –– and paying the price. The former running back used marijuana to cope with social anxiety disorder and to recover from workouts. But after failing a drug test, Williams found it difficult to navigate the NFL’s draconian pot policy. Testing became more frequent, so frequent that Williams says he was drug tested at least 500 times during his football career. He was also suspended for an entire season. Williams opted to retire rather than be governed by the league’s pot rules.

He got away from the NFL, traveled to India, studied Ayurveda and grew as a person before returning to football.

Williams ultimately had to toe the line in the NFL, but he never let the league’s ridiculous take on Cannabis change him. In fact, it’s pretty clear he changed the culture of the NFL, as players view marijuana in a different light thanks to Ricky.

Now, it’s commonplace for players to use Cannabis to recover from the wear and tear of the sport. Estimates indicate that anywhere between 50 and 89 percent of the league partakes. In fact, many players advocate for using marijuana in place of harmful opioids when dealing with pain. Ricky definitely has something to do with that. He was a pioneer. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, As it’s become increasingly socially Previously, players were randomly tested four times over the season and positive pot tests were met with escalating punishpioneers usually end up with arrows in acceptable to ments, including suspensions. Under the their backs. After years of forcing pot prohibi- consume, athletes new rules, players are screened for PEDs but not recreational drugs. tion on players, the NFL has at last have played a major Additionally, the NHL and more recently changed course: The new collective bargaining agreement does away with suspensions for pot use, limits the testrole in bringing marijuana into the MLB don’t ban Cannabis and treat its use as a health issue. MLB also did away with suspensions for minor leaguers who test ing window to the first two weeks of mainstream. positive. training camp and significantly raises Competitors in extreme sports and the threshold for a positive test. e-sports have largely embraced Cannabis.

Pot is also prevalent in the NBA. Despite esti- Yet as e-sports have grown to rival some traditional mates that as much as 85 percent of the league sports in viewership and ad dollars, drug testing is consumes Cannabis, the Association had banned becoming more commonplace. Still, Cannabis and pot since 1983. Change finally came this summer gaming are undeniably linked and testing in these when the NBA and the players union agreed on a leagues is certainly on the liberal side. But if you new drug policy prior to resuming play in Orlando prefer to watch stoned gaming, remember, some following the coronavirus outbreak. e-sports leagues make marijuana mandatory.