The Denver Broncos currently play at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, but when Sports Authority filed for bankruptcy last month, the Broncos began hearing from other companies that wanted to purchase the naming rights. And now a new candidate has emerged a company representing an industry that has never previously been involved in stadium naming rights: Marijuana.
Native Roots, a legal marijuana dispensary with 14 stores in Colorado, says it has the money to take over the $6 million a year Sports Authority is currently paying, and the interest to make a competitive bid to rename the Broncos’ home Native Roots Field at Mile High.
“We’re a cannabis company and no one had ever done anything like this in the cannabis sector,” said Rhett Jordan, a founding partner of the company, in an interview with Channel 7 News in Denver.
Sports Authority could still keep the naming rights if it is able to come up with a suitable bankruptcy plan, so it’s possible that the Broncos won’t be looking for a new sponsor. It’s also possible that if they do re-open the bidding, some other company could out-bid Native Roots. And it’s possible that the NFL and the Broncos will simply decide that they’re not ready to do business with a marijuana company, even if it’s perfectly legal in Colorado.
All of which means it’s unlikely the team will actually play at Native Roots Field. But it’s an interesting idea, one that is already getting plenty of attention for Native Roots.