OT: NBA jerseys to feature ads in 2017-18
https://twitter.com/matt_dollinger/status/720994184132444160
I understand the practice is commonly accepted and less visible; it's just moreso distasteful to me than ads on jerseys or facilities. Endowments that include naming stipulations (particularly as it relates to positions, and by extension people) are ego-driven legacy affairs.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:06 PM ^
reason I dont follow pro sports that much any longer...Its allllll about money nothing else
April 15th, 2016 at 12:18 PM ^
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April 15th, 2016 at 12:23 PM ^
those things are purely about the well-being of the student athlete.
college athletics a lot less than I once did, primarily becasue of the money that has seeped into the game.
I can't imagine what entertainment options you enjoy if "want to make money" is a sticking point for you.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:10 PM ^
I'm not sure how this is supposed to affect my enjoyment of the sport in any way whatsoever.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:10 PM ^
Pretty soon the NFL won't be too far behind. They're disgusting but that's what modern sports have morphed into. What can make us more money right now?
If college athletics eventually move down this road, I pray that not one ad ever touches a Michigan uniform.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:47 PM ^
Haha! holy shit wtf is that monstrosity!!!
I'm surprised there aren't any ads on the skates!
Wow that's gross.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:18 PM ^
This is fucking retarded.
I don't need to be bombarded with advertisments every second of every day
I hope some NBA players rebel against this.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:27 PM ^
Couldn't a team kill this? Assuming it isn't mandatory, if someone like the Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, etc. declined to sell a patch, other teams would look bush league and be pressured not to do it as well, I would think.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:35 PM ^
Yeah, good idea. I also don't like the thought of the ads ruining classic jerseys like the celts and lakers. However owners like money and winning and don't give a shit about anything else. which is probably a good business model for owning a team.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:40 PM ^
Making money is great, but short-term cash grabs that damage the brand you already have can often hurt more than they help. Dave Brandon did a bunch of dumb shit to supposedly cash-in while he was the AD here, but the athletic department ended up in worse shape financially. I think someone like Jeanie Buss is smart enough to realize that making a few extra bucks from a patch on the jerseys is far less valuable in the long run than having an iconic franchise.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:55 PM ^
Not if its mandated by the league.
In theory yes, but once that door is pried open everyone will go through it eventually.
Barcelona was a long-time holdout from jersey advertising in soccer, but they finally capitulated, arguing that not taking the money from jersey ads was too much of a financial sacrifice.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:20 PM ^
Gonna be awesome
April 15th, 2016 at 12:20 PM ^
Please don't follow suit, NHL. Can't ruin those beautiful hockey sweaters.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 12:34 PM ^
Don't forget the new TV ads on the glass.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:22 PM ^
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April 15th, 2016 at 12:31 PM ^
April 15th, 2016 at 12:50 PM ^
sports are wobbling right on the brink of being completely out of my range of interests already. I already have absolutely no interest in the NFL, I am not a hockey fan, I will watch select NBA playoff games if I am awake and there are no good House reruns on, and I will leave the Tigers on the radio if I am doing yard work or something. This really doesn't matter too much to me because I already don't care. If(when) this happens in college sports I will be completely outraged though.
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April 15th, 2016 at 12:34 PM ^
Oh woe is us, this will surely ruin the integrity of the illustrious NBA jersey for good!
April 15th, 2016 at 12:44 PM ^
Euroleague has jersey sponsors.
MLS has jersey sponsors.
The NBA is the third largest sports league in NA by revenue. If they go to jersey sponsors I'm sure the NHL won't be far behind.
Bettman came from the NBA, it's only a matter of time before they follow suit. I just hope the historical teams like Detroit, Toronto and Montreal refuse to do it. If Arizona and Florida need it because they are losing money, fine, but don't mess with the winged wheel. $5 million is not gonna make or break Mike Ilitch.
It's true that jersey ads are commonplace around the world. That doesn't mean they aren't ugly.
I like that the big four North American leagues have resisted.
The premier league is the 3rd largest league in the world, based on revenues. MLB and the NFL are in a tier all to themselves. I'd bet they would resist the longest but the NBA and the NHL which are between the EPL and Bundesliga will probably go to jersey sponsors.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:44 PM ^
It's so sad that the NBA is in such dire financial straits that they had to resort to such a crass last-ditch effort to stay afloat.
/s
April 15th, 2016 at 12:45 PM ^
It doesn't have to be like NASCAR, and it will take some time to become accustomed to seeing the corporate sponsorship of teams like the Brooklyn/New Jay-Z Nets, the Los Angeles Land o' Lakers and the Sacramento DraftKings . . . but having lived with corporate names on uniforms and annual changes in styles for a few decades, I think that I can survive the next generation of basketball uniforms.
Wolverine Devotee, my one concern will be whether you will find enough donors to "go fund" your annual campaigns to acquire new jerseys for the teams you root for. I feel for you.
April 15th, 2016 at 12:53 PM ^
Ads will never be inside Michigan Stadium much less on jerseys. I'm still annoyed that Crisler has ads again after Bill Martin removed them.
Still plenty of work to do in cleaning up after the last group. Spring game sponsorship contract is hopefully ending soon.
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April 18th, 2016 at 12:50 PM ^
Did you see the Weber Grill ads at the spring game?
April 15th, 2016 at 12:53 PM ^
All I can say is that if they make it minimal and allow the team to make the ad work with their team's colors then I'm sure it will be okay. It's sucks, but apparently these guys needed more money. Someone posted above a horrible picture of two hockey players covered in clashing ads and it was so busy with them. If it get to the level of distracting then this is a very bad idea.
The NBA made a $900 million profit last year. It's not that they need money, they just want more money.
You're "sure it will be okay?" I'm not. First, I think any advertising is too much, but even if it starts out discreet, I can guarantee you the size of the jersey ad will be expanded as time passes. Eventually they will look like WNBA uniforms:
that people would complain about the advertising on soccer jerseys in this context.
That would be the advertising that you see on jerseys during games that run for two uninterrupted 45 minute halves.
Pay $50+/ticket and $8+/beer for the privilege of watching a neverending advertisement. Sounds like a hoot!!
Meh, I'm fine with it. European teams have been doing it for years, and it's not like basketball players don't already wear branded shoes and jerseys.
Sometimes it was easy when watching soccer to tell the teams because the red one was sponsored by AIG and the blue one was sponsored by Samsung.
So you used to watch ManU and Chelsea back in the day before they switched sponsors?
Got it.
Haha.
They've been doing it in Europe because there are no TV timeouts in soccer, plus there's really no revenue sharing or salary cap to prevent teams from losing money. In the US, we get bombarded with TV ads during every stoppage of play. $5 million for jersey ads is not gonna make or break an NBA team. It's just greed, pure and simple.
That's not why they do it. European soccer TV deals are enormous despite the lack of in-game breaks. Moreover, European basketball teams have ads as well despite plenty of commercial breaks.
It's simply more accepted in European sports culture to put advertising on uniforms.
The entire pitch for major teams is surrounded by video screens flashing a billion ads. Yes, calling timeouts in soccer make populating it with ads isn't reasonable. But most major teams make millions off of their teams, much like professional teams in the US do it. It's a different model but the same result.
And to me it's not greed. It's a desire to make more money, but that isn't fundamentally wrong. It's like when people complain about player X asking for more money. What, if someone was willing to pay you more money for something you'd turn it down? Same here. Samsung really wants to put their name next to the Cavs logo. I guess if that distracts from enjoying a game for people, so be it. But it sure seems like outrage for the sake of it.
Has no one listened to what Adam Silver has said on this? Some points that seem lost on most:
- Only a small 2.5" patch has been approved
- The incremental revenue of $4-6 million for a patch is a pittance to Silver, he believes corporate partners that participate will be more likely to invest in and promote for the league, leading to higher revenue and additional exposure
- Added revenue would be split between the players, so none of them will complain
- Retail jerseys without sponsorship patches will continue to be sold
- The ruling approved a 3-year pilot program that would allow teams to sell rights to a patch, not mandate one
Obviously, there is certainly a chance that in 5-10 years the patch has grown or some of the rules have changed and become more ad-friendly. But this is not a sky-is-falling, OMG Brandz Everywhere catastrophe for the NBA.
Also pro sports are 100% an entertainment business unlike college sports. Without tv revenue (essentially from advertisers) and other corporate investments, the only revenue in the business would be ticket and concession/merchandise sales. There's good reason to service your best corporate partners.