12/21/24
April 15, 2016
NBA Approves Advertising on Uniforms: In a first for the top 4 U.S. pro sports, the NBA announced Friday that it has approved the sale of advertising on team uniforms in a three-year experiment. The ads will take the form of 2.5-inch square patches tailored to a sponsor's logo. "Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association with our teams and the additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who makes it sound so brandtastic the league should be doing it for free.
posted by rcade to basketball at 04:54 PM - 10 comments
My reaction to this news would have been different before I became obsessed with British soccer.
posted by rcade at 05:52 PM on April 15, 2016
I'm actually OK with the advertisement as seen in the image in the linked article. The frustrating thing with soccer uniforms is that it's the Herbalifes vs the Fly Emirates. The IPL uniforms are kind of the same situation, but at least the team logos are large enough to read.
posted by NoMich at 06:05 PM on April 15, 2016
I'm going to be honest, I thought the NHL would be the first to do this.
The NCAA would have been my bet, but that ship has probably already sailed to a certain extent with Nike and Adidas.
As a fan I personally would never buy a jersey that had a bunch of corporate advertising. Some of those soccer kits are rendered downright brutal.
I do have visions of the Toronto Maple Leafs jersey with a large "Dyson" or "Kleenex" logo pasted across the lower back. And the Oilers certainly would be sponsored by "Draft Kings".
posted by cixelsyd at 10:16 PM on April 15, 2016
The high school rule book says that manufacturers' logos may appear on the visible parts of a team's official uniform. These are restricted to a size of 2 1/4 square inches, with any one dimension not to exceed 2 1/4 inches. The case book says that there is no NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) rule prohibiting commercial advertising on uniforms, but states may have rules prohibiting it.
posted by Howard_T at 11:09 PM on April 15, 2016
I have a few shirts from the Mexican pro football leagues that I wear once in a while because they're colorful, well designed, and sometimes provocative. Some of them are heavily festooned with corporate logos.
I have a weekly volunteer gig at a community supper program and I am sometimes the only male in the kitchen amidst a very diverse crew of extremely wise gals. Anything goes, often at my expense. One week, the shit got so thick that I felt compelled to return the fire.
So the next week, I donned my vivid Morelia Monarcos shirt and entered the kitchen with a full measure of bravado. I went up to my fellow vols and announced to them that I would tolerate no talking behind my back that evening. I then turned and walked away from them.
Here's the back of the shirt I had on.
Somehow we managed to get the meal served that night.
posted by beaverboard at 09:36 AM on April 16, 2016
+1 Beaverboard. You did that in a room full of knives?
posted by rcade at 10:22 AM on April 16, 2016
Well, we had a spirited knife discussion at one point. Some of the women were a bit too young or culturally uninformed to understand that "Bobbitt" was not only a last name but now also a verb.
A few weeks ago, I stressed to the crew that it would serve no worthwhile purpose for me to be injured by sharp objects, as I would then have to tell the Trump campaign that I had blood coming out of my "wherever".
Follow up banter revolved around online searches for suppliers of Kevlar kitchen aprons, etc.
posted by beaverboard at 12:32 PM on April 16, 2016
You are certainly pressing your luck wearing a shirt that advertises beer in a room dominated by X chromosomes :)
But that is a great example of a nice (albeit loud) jersey ruined by corporate crap.
I'll stick to world cup jerseys.
posted by cixelsyd at 06:36 PM on April 16, 2016
Soccer is my first love and as a longtime Liverpool supporter, I can't remember a time when this wasn't the case over there. So I agree with rcade. This won't bother me because I barely (subliminally) notice it anymore.
posted by Ricardo at 09:15 AM on April 18, 2016
I'm going to be honest, I thought the NHL would be the first to do this.