College athletes work hard to represent their institutions positively. They have to balance classes, jobs, and their impossible practice schedules all while staying healthy and fit.
It takes a special individual to be a college athlete. One needs to be passionate about their sport, driven to work hard and motivated to be their best at all times.
All of their responsibilities make it hard to maintain a level head and keep playing their best. It is also common to see athletes lose scholarships due to the poor grades that result from crazy schedules.
To make the lives of college football players a little easier, some universities and coaches are considering allowing them to use CBD before games.
Since it is derived from the same plant as marijuana, CBD use is widely controversial, especially among the athletic community. However, with all of the benefits it might be able to offer, it could be a good idea for college football players.
It Couldn’t Hurt, Could It?
Pain Reduction
Athletes work hard every day, lifting weights in the gym and running across the field. They probably feel the muscle aches and soreness that come along with constant workouts and tackles during practices and games.
The aches and pains they feel likely impact how they play. They won’t be able to run as fast or throw as far with sore arms and legs.
Some users of CBD products have found that it truly helps with pain reduction. Many users enjoy how it alleviates chronic pain from arthritis and could potentially relieve the soreness athletes experience.
To play harder and feel better, college football players need to keep the pain they feel to a minimum. CBD could be the substance that helps them feel better before heading out on the field for a big game.
Just a little bit of CBD before playing can make a huge difference in the way that players feel.
Stress Relief
With everything that college football players are tasked with, it’s no surprise that they have exceeding amounts of stress. They love playing their sport, but also need to make time for keeping up their grades, working a paid job, and maintaining a social life.
Having fun and enjoying free time to themselves is probably at the bottom of an athlete’s to-do list, causing them to stress out about everything else they have to do.
In addition to these stressors, add on the stress they feel to play their best and win for their institution. They are under so much pressure to do well that it isn’t really fair.
One use for CBD that seems to help many users is its potential to reduce the effects of anxiety and stress. CBD can lower heart rate and reduce other signs of anxiety, like shaking that could impact the way they play.
By lowering the stressors they have during game time, players will better be able to keep their heads in the game and play their best.
Long-Lasting Effects
Using CBD could be a positive way to keep players feeling their best for more than just game time. Its effects can last the whole game and carry over into their next few practices or workouts.
According to Healthcare Weekly, the effects of CBD can remain present for an average of 2-6 hours in some users. This length varies depending on a few factors like the method of ingestion and concentration of CBD.
CBD can be taken in many forms, from oil droplets to edible snacks. The forms that go through the digestive system tend to remain in the body for a few days, while inhalation or topical creams might only last for a few hours.
The effects tend to wear off a bit quicker in those who exercise regularly, so athletes might benefit from taking it before every game.
With regular use also comes a longer-lasting impact, so taking it on a schedule could make a good feeling last a little while.
It Could Be Risky
Its Legality is Confusing
One of the biggest turn-offs of CBD is how confusing the legislation for and against it is. It takes a little bit of digging in each individual state to know the status of legality where you live.
According to Daily CBD Magazine, CBD is legal federally but individual states can create their own laws. That makes it difficult for every university to determine if they are able to use it legally.
In order to be federally legal, CBD products have to contain less than 0.3% THC. Despite this, a few states have placed their own bans on any CBD containing products to try to regulate the market.
This makes it difficult for college football players to decide if they should take the chance with the substance. Getting in trouble with the law could lead them to lose their position on the team.
FDA Regulation
While legal at the federal level, a majority of CBD-containing products are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The only product on the market that they regulate containing CBD is a drug for seizures and epilepsy.
The FDA is struggling to decide how to properly regulate products that contain CBD because of the continuous testing being done about it. Without any conclusive results, it is difficult to definitely know if it is a fully safe, reliable method for relieving medical conditions.
The main problem is that since it isn’t regulated, producers can lie on their packaging about the concentration of CBD in all of their products. There are many reliable sellers that properly label their products, but there are also many sellers that do not always tell the truth about the THC content and CBD concentration.
Without regulation, there is no sure way to know what exactly is in the CBD products that you buy. Football players need to be careful about what goes into their bodies to make sure it doesn’t affect their gameplay.
So What Does This All Mean?
At the end of the day, there is no set answer for whether or not college football players should take CBD before games. It can be extremely beneficial for making them play stronger, but like any supplement, there might be some risks.
It will be up to individual institutions to decide if their players should be able to use the supplement to play great on gameday.
