As if “Mile High” isn’t an appropriate enough name for Colorado’s football stadium, Native Roots – the state’s largest dispensary — will consider the process of acquiring the stadium’s naming rights, the company announced last week in an elaborate April PR campaign.
According to The Denver Post, Rhett Jordan, co-owner of Native Roots, says they can afford the annual cost.
The company announced plans to submit a formal intent-to-inquire to the National Football League. If approved, the home of the Denver Broncos will be called “Native Roots Field at Mile High.”
Is this an April Fools pipe dream? Probably, but it’s a fun one that raises some interesting questions.
“We may breathe green but we bleed orange,” Josh Ginsberg, CEO of Native Roots, said in a release. “Just like John Denver so memorably sang in ‘Rocky Mountain High,’ it only makes sense that the company which gains the new naming rights of Mile High be reflective of Colorado.”
The company said the next step of the process is meeting with NFL officials to determine the next steps and exploring the potential of offering vaporizers and joints to fans over 21-years-old if the move is approved. Marijuana remains banned under the NFL’s drug policy, however, which certainly complicates Native Roots’ plan — as intriguing as such a development would be.
Currently, Sports Authority holds the naming rights to the stadium, but they recently filed for bankruptcy, potentially leaving the naming rights, which cost between $6 million and $7 million, in limbo. Sports Authority has the rights until 2020, but can decide to relinquish them if they cannot afford the payments.