NBA debating whether to sell ad space on players' uniforms

[marmar]

With the NBA positioning itself as the most global of leagues, will it soon join the rest of the world by selling advertising on uniforms? The sticky issue will be debated, if not voted on, at the next board of governors meeting in April.

It’s a touchy topic, one that involves balancing some of the most influential league constituencies and addressing some thorny questions: Would uniform patches be league or team inventory? Will NBA broadcasters TNT and ESPN/ABC, or even uniform rights holder Adidas, want a piece of the action? Would the league take a PR hit as the first to accept non-endemic ads on uniforms?

Of course, the most important issue is also the most basic. “The most appropriate question and the answer we’re all waiting for is, ‘What is it worth?’” said Golden State Warriors president and COO Rick Welts, who did the WNBA’s first uniform advertising deal between the Phoenix Mercury and LifeLock in 2009. “I am not suggesting this is an easy issue, but I feel like it is inevitable. We just have to agree on value and what it would look like.”

In the case of the Mercury, the biggest logo on its uniform became LifeLock’s across-the-chest jersey patch, while the team logo on the jersey shrank to about the same size as the Adidas logo. The WNBA followed suit last year, with a Boost Mobile ad patch deal on the uniforms of 10 of the league’s 12 teams. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-03-05/sbj-nba-teams-could-vote-on-jersey-sponsorships-in-april#ixzz1oO7uikAl

[Upton]

1. They do it in soccer..

of course, the trade off is no commercials during the game except at HT....I'd go for that, but the NBA won't.

[HuckleB]

2. Yeah, that's the problem.

Still, how can it not happen in every sport? I mean, money is the bottom line.

[joeybee12]

5. If there's money to be made, they'll do it...

It really is ridiculous.

[HuckleB]

6. Indeed.

Still, I like the lack of advertising breaks in soccer. I could care less what's on their uniforms.

Quite frankly, I'd watch more NFL games, if they cut the ad breaks and turned the unis into Nascar driver mode.

[Renew Deal]

9. Advertisements on HS football fields were approved this year.

I bet there's some HS's out there dying to cash in on this as well.

[JonLP24]

3. I think ads make uniforms look ugly

I'd hate to see classic looks like the Bulls or Celtics ruined with an ad. Though technically jerseys already have ads, you'll have an Adidas or perhaps a Nike logo. You also have a NBA logo which could be viewed as an ad for the NBA, but I view it as a way of saying this is an NBA team.

I'm aware that there could be an ad that has the right logo, right font, right colors to make a jersey look good depending on the team. I won't kill myself trying to stop ads on jerseys but would rather not see it.

I don't really care about the commercials, most cases IMO, it is preferable to watching players standing around listening to their coach or whatever mascot, performer, cheerleaders do during the breaks. The latter would be more entertaining the first few times but would grow tired of it by the 3rd or 4th quarter. (Watch Suns vs Bulls 1993 NBA Finals Game 3 on Youtube to watch a game without commercials with game breaks not skipped.

[HuckleB]

10. The problem is that those long breaks didn't exist before the age of television.

There is a reason the NFL is the biggest sport in the US.

It is the most perfect sport within which to show ads.

[KamaAina]

4. This from the league that wouldn't allow the Grizzlies to call themselves the Memphis Express

because of the tie-in with local corporation FedEx. And they play in FedExForum.

[HuckleB]

7. +1

[Renew Deal]

8. I don't think they should do it.

It ruins the uniform. I don't like it in soccer either. NASCAR is a different story. They have different needs.

[HuckleB]

11. Who cares?

The Portland Timbers now have a 3rd jersey which harkens back to the NASL days of the 1970s, and it has the Alaska Airlines logo from that era.

How is that not slightly ok? Especially when most other sports are struggling to keep their games going "fast enough" to allow for more ads?