We knew ads on NBA jerseys were coming. It's only fitting that the 76ers are the first team to reveal their corporate sponsorship, a three-year deal with Stubhub that will pay them $5 million a year, per ESPN's Darren Rovell.
The 76ers’ jerseys will have a Stubhub ad on them, and that’s totally fine
BREAKING: @Sixers sign 1st jersey ad deal in North American major sports, 3-year deal with @StubHub pic.twitter.com/EZa52rQEQm
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 16, 2016
Here’s a closer look.
We're partnering with @Stubhub as our official jersey patch sponsor! #StubHubSixers
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) May 16, 2016
[ " https://t.co/RQEXl0BPUj ] pic.twitter.com/95jofobxj8
Advertisements on jerseys are still a couple seasons out. The Sixers will begin wearing these for the 2017-18 season, not next year.
Some thoughts, in no particular order.
1. These look fine! You’ll forget they’re even there after a dozen games. Of course, we knew they would. It’s hard to mess up a small patch that’s measured in inches.
2. Of course, for people who are upset with advertisements on jerseys, I believe it’s more about the concept, not the actual execution. Like these incredible tweets ...
@ScottONeil Would you allow ads on the American flag? Scott, these sports teams' jerseys & logos are OUR flags, and you put an ad on them.
— Geoff (@geoff9786) May 16, 2016
@darrenrovell @Sixers @StubHub As a Sixers fan, I hate this. The jersey should be advertisement free.
— Jonathan Patten (@shoelessjp) May 16, 2016
(3. For $5 million I would strongly consider putting an ad on the American flag, actually. Oh no my inbox is glaring at me for writing that sentence.)
4. But seriously, let’s not forgot how much money $5 million is. It’s a lot of money! For a three-inch patch on a jersey, your favorite NBA team may be able to sell cheaper tickets! Or at least not raise the prices for longer than they would have before the advertisements! Or maybe the money will help hire a new coach or a top-notch assistant! As long as you trust the owners aren’t just pocketing this extra money -- which they aren’t, but there’s certainly people out there who won’t believe me -- then there’s really not a big reason to be upset with your favorite team suddenly having more versatility to do their job better. NBA jerseys change basically every five years, so let’s not act like there’s so much sanctity surrounding them.
5. I’ve heard teams have the choice whether they want to sell the jerseys with or without the advertisement patches. They also have a choice on the patches themselves, with certain sponsors (alcohol and anything controversial) being banned. But for $5 million, I’d imagine every NBA team will have one come the start of the 2017-18 season.
6. Real quick, before I forget, this is how the Sixers teased the news.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) May 16, 2016
That’s incredible. I’m in awe. Please, someone tell George Washington that in the future, a huge cartoon version of Betsy Ross will be used to sew advertisements onto the jersey of a professional sports team. I want to see the look on his face when he hears about it.
7. The NFL will be following the NBA’s lead before the end of the decade, I’m sure of it. The moral of this story: advertisements are coming for us all.
