The Super Bowl has gone to pot.
Both teams playing in Sunday's big game—the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos—hail from states where recreational marijuana is now legal for people over 21. They are playing in New Jersey, a state slow to roll out a medical marijuana program, but one where at least one legislator wants to follow in the footsteps of Washington and Colorado. A variety of public opinion polls show most Americans now favor legalization.
Suddenly, the Super ... Bowl ... takes on a whole new meaning.
Given this sea change, perhaps Super Bowl XLVIII needs a special nickname. A website called Stoner Bowl (hey, that's not a bad nickname) is selling T-shirts showing the Lombardi Trophy as a bong: "As you watch your team and your herb get the recognition they deserve, do it decked out in gear that cheers on both."
NORML, an organization which supports the legalization of marijuana, is celebrating the event with a bet between its chapters in Washington and Colorado.
"If the Denver Broncos win, WA NORML has agreed to dress in Bronco colors of blue and orange and sing karaoke-style Colorado's (second) official state song 'Rocky Mountain High' by John Denver. If the Seattle Seahawks win, CO NORML will do the same, but in Seahawk blue and green and singing 'Purple Haze' by Jimi Hendrix, a native son of Seattle."
(Read more: How legal marijuana could be the next great American industry)
Some even want to change the name of MetLife Stadium to KushLife.
So, in the spirit of the times, here are a few suggestions for nicknames for Sunday's epic matchup:
- The Stupor Bowl
- The Bud Bowl (Yeah, I know it's taken. Budweiser, we are not suggesting beer and pot have anything in common ...)
- The Doobie Bowl
- Smoke a Bowl
- Weed Bowl
And, my favorite, tweeted by @asavwms: Super Bowl CDXX (think about it)
So get ready, New Jersey, for a different sort of crowd. Maybe. Colorado and Washington residents cannot transport their legal pot across state lines. You can't even take it into the airport in Denver. But Super Bowl parties back home? Be careful eating those brownies.
—By CNBC's Jane Wells; Follow her on Twitter: @janewells