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NBA smells cash with uniform ads
League's greed may reach unbearable point for fans
COMMENTARY
By David Sweet
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 2:55 p.m. ET June 8, 2005
Imagine this: Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal steals the ball from Phoenix’s Steve Nash in the waning seconds of an NBA playoff game in the next few weeks, lumbers down the court and lifts his arms to slam home a game-winning shot.
That would be surprising enough to Suns’ fans this year, but the sight may be positively galling in years ahead. Not the fact that the 300-pounder could outrun the Phoenix squad, mind you: As O’Neal chugged back upcourt after the dunk and toward the television camera in, say, 2007, it would be hard to see the word “Heat” on his uniform. The ads for Domino’s Pizza, Pep Boys and Wal-Mart would dominate the big man’s XXXL billboard — er, jersey.
The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. Team owner Mark Cuban, who never met a revenue stream he didn’t like, believes it’s a good idea. Quoted in a story in The New York Times, Commissioner David Stern said, “There may come a time, in recognition of the exposure that the uniforms get, that there’s a value proposition that would cause us to consider changing our policies.”
In plain English: There’s gold in jersey space.
Yes, millions of dollars of revenue would flow to teams — just look at the advertising splattered on NASCAR jumpsuits, professional golfer hats and shirts and European soccer uniforms. Even soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona, more than a century old, is on the verge of signing its first corporate sponsorship deal for its uniforms.
But once ads are on uniforms, where does logo-mania end? Those clear plexiglass backboards are prime space for Taco Bell and Wendy’s. The boring old NBA net could welcome a lawnmower ad. The smooth Italian suits of coaches could be plastered with pitches for Charles Schwab.
Further, advertisers have to be careful what they wish for. If Dunkin’ Donuts signs a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant’s jersey will be hawking their family-friendly fare. And where these ads show up are out of companies’ control — would any Fortune 500 firm really want close-up shots of players bedecked with their ads brawling, a la the Pistons-Pacers brouhaha? Not exactly positive brand promotion.
Companies would also have to understand that the more logos you put on a uniform, the smaller the impact each one would have. NASCAR logos on driver uniforms can be so small as to be almost imperceptible — and thus a waste of corporate money.
A fan backlash in the NBA is also possible. Ticket prices already have shot through the roof: A good seat next season at an L.A. Clippers game — a franchise which has never competed in an NBA Finals, much less come close — will cost $150. With the NBA’s cable-heavy package, fewer fans can see games at home than in the days when NBC broadcast games. Making team jerseys — including ones purchased by fans — beholden to Blockbuster and Lite beer may be the final straw.
Major League Baseball tried sewing small ads on players’ jerseys a few years back, and the ensuing uproar quickly ended that strategy. But if the NBA follows through with this, they’ll have to be consistent across the board. That NBA logo, the one based on Jerry West dribbling a basketball? The league will need to slap a McDonald’s ad on the former Lakers’ star’s jersey so it won’t look strange amid the human billboards.
David Sweet is a frequent contributor to NBCSports.com and a sports business writer in the Chicago area. He can be reached at dafsweet@aol.com.
NBA smells cash with uniform ads
League's greed may reach unbearable point for fans
COMMENTARY
By David Sweet
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 2:55 p.m. ET June 8, 2005
Imagine this: Miami’s Shaquille O’Neal steals the ball from Phoenix’s Steve Nash in the waning seconds of an NBA playoff game in the next few weeks, lumbers down the court and lifts his arms to slam home a game-winning shot.
That would be surprising enough to Suns’ fans this year, but the sight may be positively galling in years ahead. Not the fact that the 300-pounder could outrun the Phoenix squad, mind you: As O’Neal chugged back upcourt after the dunk and toward the television camera in, say, 2007, it would be hard to see the word “Heat” on his uniform. The ads for Domino’s Pizza, Pep Boys and Wal-Mart would dominate the big man’s XXXL billboard — er, jersey.
The NBA is mulling the prospect of stitching advertising logos onto jerseys. Team owner Mark Cuban, who never met a revenue stream he didn’t like, believes it’s a good idea. Quoted in a story in The New York Times, Commissioner David Stern said, “There may come a time, in recognition of the exposure that the uniforms get, that there’s a value proposition that would cause us to consider changing our policies.”
In plain English: There’s gold in jersey space.
Yes, millions of dollars of revenue would flow to teams — just look at the advertising splattered on NASCAR jumpsuits, professional golfer hats and shirts and European soccer uniforms. Even soccer powerhouse FC Barcelona, more than a century old, is on the verge of signing its first corporate sponsorship deal for its uniforms.
But once ads are on uniforms, where does logo-mania end? Those clear plexiglass backboards are prime space for Taco Bell and Wendy’s. The boring old NBA net could welcome a lawnmower ad. The smooth Italian suits of coaches could be plastered with pitches for Charles Schwab.
Further, advertisers have to be careful what they wish for. If Dunkin’ Donuts signs a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant’s jersey will be hawking their family-friendly fare. And where these ads show up are out of companies’ control — would any Fortune 500 firm really want close-up shots of players bedecked with their ads brawling, a la the Pistons-Pacers brouhaha? Not exactly positive brand promotion.
Companies would also have to understand that the more logos you put on a uniform, the smaller the impact each one would have. NASCAR logos on driver uniforms can be so small as to be almost imperceptible — and thus a waste of corporate money.
A fan backlash in the NBA is also possible. Ticket prices already have shot through the roof: A good seat next season at an L.A. Clippers game — a franchise which has never competed in an NBA Finals, much less come close — will cost $150. With the NBA’s cable-heavy package, fewer fans can see games at home than in the days when NBC broadcast games. Making team jerseys — including ones purchased by fans — beholden to Blockbuster and Lite beer may be the final straw.
Major League Baseball tried sewing small ads on players’ jerseys a few years back, and the ensuing uproar quickly ended that strategy. But if the NBA follows through with this, they’ll have to be consistent across the board. That NBA logo, the one based on Jerry West dribbling a basketball? The league will need to slap a McDonald’s ad on the former Lakers’ star’s jersey so it won’t look strange amid the human billboards.
David Sweet is a frequent contributor to NBCSports.com and a sports business writer in the Chicago area. He can be reached at dafsweet@aol.com.
