In the late 2010s, Weedmaps emerged as one of the first cannabis-sector brands to back action-sports athletes at scale, and FMX quickly became a visible lane. Coverage at the time noted Weedmaps was sponsoring roughly 20 athletes across moto and adjacent disciplines, explicitly including FMX riders Tom Parsons, Jimmy Hill, and Stephanie Pietz. That roster helped normalize cannabis sponsorship imagery on lids, leathers, and social feeds in a space long dominated by energy drinks and moto hard parts.
The most prominent bridge between Weedmaps and freestyle came through Tyler Bereman, a style-forward rider who parlayed X Games results into crossover visibility. Weedmaps documented Bereman’s journey and recovery stories on its WM Sports pages—highlighting both performance and the role cannabis played in pain management and avoiding over-reliance on prescription opioids. Those features, alongside Weedmaps event activations such as the “Pipe Experience” in Oahu, placed FMX athletes in wellness-themed narratives rather than stereotypical counterculture frames.
For riders, the upside was obvious: new budget lines at a time when endemic moto dollars were tightening. For Weedmaps, FMX delivered eye-catching content and an audience comfortable with lifestyle branding—without the sanctioning-body scrutiny typical in stick-and-ball sports. But operationally, the path wasn’t frictionless. U.S. broadcast and venue rules often treated cannabis differently (or more cautiously) than energy drinks or alcohol, creating a chessboard of approvals, logo placements, and “camera-safe” zones. In 2019, for example, pro motocross allowed CBD sponsorships on-site while restricting visibility on TV and livestreams—illustrating how athletes could accept deals but still tape over marks before rolling under the broadcast gantry. That split reality forced teams and sponsors to plan alternate logo kits, social-only jerseys, and non-broadcast digital content to deliver promised impressions.
The cultural context matters, too. Motocross has a complicated history with cannabis—high-profile punitive episodes in earlier eras coexisted with a modern wave of riders candid about responsible use for recovery and sleep. Articles chronicling Weedmaps’ entry into motorsports explicitly contrasted those older penalties with a new generation of FMX talent comfortable wearing the logo, signaling a reputational pivot as legalization marched state-by-state.
Athlete selection also reflected risk management. Female rider/model Stephanie Pietz appeared in press spotlights and sponsor lists, offering both competitive credibility and lifestyle reach—useful when broadcast restrictions pushed much of the value to social, film projects, and live activations beyond the main TV window.
Today, the template forged in FMX—athlete storytelling, wellness framing, and event-side content—resembles broader cannabis-sports partnerships: lean into digital where rules are clearer, be surgical about broadcast exposure, and emphasize health conversations over hype. Weedmaps’ public partnership guidance underscores a continued appetite for sponsorships, but the execution still hinges on navigating evolving patchworks of league, broadcaster, and local regulations. For riders, that means cannabis support can fund progression sessions, video parts, and independent tours—even when the logo can’t ride every lap on the live feed.
Net-net: Weedmaps helped open the gate for cannabis branding in FMX, pairing budget with a wellness-centric message. The opportunity is real, but so are the rulebooks—which is why the most effective programs look less like old-school billboard buys and more like athlete-led media with carefully staged moments where the cameras are allowed to see.
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