Yesterday in Lost Time Is Not Found Again, I quoted Henry Abbott’s take on the NBA warming up to jersey sponsorships. I took a quick peek at the comments from his blog post, and this one, from blazers_revival, in which he argues against the practicality of jersey sponsorships, caught my eye:

Top players have huge, expensive *personal* sponsorships. Let’s say, for example, you have a top player like LeBron James who has signed a deal with Vitaminwater or some such sports drink company. Now Gatorade (aka “G”) works out a contract deal with Cleveland. Does LeBron put on a jersey with a “G” logo on it? Does KG wear a Vitaminwater logo if they sponsor Boston? What kind of havoc would result if adidas sponsored a team? Is there an NBA team out there without a Nike athlete? I don’t think the teams can accept sponsorships for jerseys because the players already have the market cornered on things the wear on their bodies.

Yeah, that’s a large problem here: top-name guys have their whole bodies branded: shoes, watches, underwear, apparel, etc. If the team’s sponsorship doesn’t align with a player’s, it could cause some conflict.

As it turns out we’re already seeing this in action. The New York Giants inked a deal with Timex for a patch on their practice jerseys, but Eli Manning has a six-figure endorsement deal with Citizen. Whoops.

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Well, it seems all it took was one major sport, the NFL, to officially allow some ad space on its practice jerseys, and now everyone wants a piece of that revenue. The NBA is pulling a similar move, and are allowing teams to sell sponsorship on their practice jerseys. Game jersey sponsorship is still be explored. The NHL tells the USA Today it will place sponsors on actual game jerseys “for the right price.”

As I’ve said a few times, this is just a natural progression. Go to Europe and this sort of advertising is the norm. It makes sense American sports would follow, even if its not going to be fully welcomed by fans. But, this is the best time for the leagues to start changing their stance on this. The reasoning the spokesmen and owners are pointing to for the sea of change in that above link — besides the need to advertise in game because DVR and countless channels are keeping fans away at commerical breaks — is the economy. “Hey, times are tough, we need to generate alternate revenue costs to keep operating.”

If there’s one common unifying thread in America right now — besides a “Saved By The Bell” reunion — it’s the struggles in this economy. I think people empathize with that. A move that would be more unpopular in a different economic climate is much more acceptable right now.

Baseball is saying it has no plans to have sponsorship on its jerseys. I still cotended individual players will be sponsored by 2025, though.

This offseason, it was reported NFL teams would be selling sponsorship patches on their practice jerseys. I know this was very exciting to you all, especially little Timmy in the back there. And look, even a porn company tried to get into the mix!

Well, the Chicago Bears have taken the plunge with the sponsorship patches, and at training camp next week, they’ll be sporting one of these guys:

Yes, that’s NorthShore University HealthSystem, the official health care partner of the Chicago Bears. The Bears are not the first to take the plunge, as a few others teams have already lined up similar deals.

I would like to remind all of you this is not a big deal. A small patch on a practice jersey in exchange for some money is of little consequence to how you will consume Bears football this season.

Once this advertising creeps significantly onto actual jerseys, that’s when we can start crying. Until then, keep the tear ducts dry.

You know what is kind of crazy? (Besides the fact the Hawks signed Marian Hossa to a 12-year deal, which means it expires in 2021, which means I’ll be 36 then, which means, well, that is just a very long contract. I hope we have flying cars by then.)

McDonald’s and the NBA have been intertwined for nearly 30 years, as the burger giant has been the league’s official fast food sponsor since 1990. But today, it’s no more. Today, it’s reported Taco Bell has stepped in and signed a four-year deal with the league, which will ensure impressionable youths watching basketball will run to their nearest Taco Bell and get the new Bacon Cheesy Potato Burrito. Bacon in a burrito, you don’t say!

From Sport Business Daily (subscription required):

Industry sources said the deal includes a heavy media component on NBA rightsholders ABC, ESPN and TNT, themed promos at the chain’s 5,600 restaurants, themed advertising, title to the All-Star Saturday Night Skills Challenge and an associate sponsorship of the NBA’s Jam Session All-Star Game Fan Fest.

Remember how shameless Taco Bell was integrated into the World Series two years ago, and to a lesser degree, but still pretty prominent last year? Get ready for that, NBA fans.

I mean, what kind of idiot falls for those marketing gimmicks anyway  … oh wait.

HT: SbB

As was previously speculated (and now is near official), some NFL practice jerseys will feature advertising/sponsorship this season. Does this bother you? Make you mad the NFL is going after more cash? Cheer up, bro. Don’t worry about it. The patches are small. It’s a practice jersey. You will survive. I promise. But, the natural progression will be for real jerseys to sport advertising sometime in the future. It’s a staple overseas on soccer jerseys; I’m actually surprised in our consumerist and money-driven society this hasn’t happened yet.

Oh, but it has.

Monday, the New York Times reported the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury are going the sponsor route, dropping all “Mercury” and “Phoenix” references on their jerseys and in their place “Lifelock” will now appear. The WNBA is calling this “innovation”; Others are calling it “doing anything to not go under.”

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