Unless you’re a NASCAR aficionado, corporate logos and advertisements on professional sports jerseys probably elicit a certain amount of dread about the insidiousness of consumer culture. But folks around the league have been saying lately that it’s only a matter of time before NBA jerseys start featuring such ads and logos. That time is now, apparently. According to Sara Germano of The Wall Street Journal, the 2016 and 2017 All-Star jerseys will feature the Kia logo.
“It’s something we’ve been looking at for a number of years,” said Emilio Collins, executive vice president of global marketing partnerships for the NBA. Asked if jersey ads are coming for regular-season NBA play, he said “we continue to work on that beyond All-Star, with all the considerations we have to factor in,” adding that the exhibition game ads will be evaluated as a test-run.
Though it’s a common practice in international sports – particularly soccer – the NBA will become the first of the four major American sports to feature ads on jerseys. The Kia logo will appear on a 3.25-inch by 1.6-inch patch on the upper left side of the uniforms. According to the report, media rights deals such as this are set to overtake ticket sales as the league’s primary revenue stream over the next three years.
(Via The Wall Street Journal)
