Would you wear one of the jerseys above? How do you feel about buying your next favorite NBA jersey and having a Cheetos, McDonalds or Pepsi logo on it? Logos are already on Soccer and Race Car uniforms, but how many people do you see wearing those often? According to the BleacherReport.com that can be as soon as the 2013. With an owner representation of each team in Vegas this past week instant replays weren’t the only thing being discussed as NBA Hang Time reports. Although no decision was made, the want to move forward with the idea was made known and the final decision will come in an email vote in September. Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver responded as saying:
“My sense is that every team would do this in some form,” Silver said
The idea would be implemented for the 2013-2014 season giving the teams the opportunity to find sponsors and give the uniform makers ample amount of time to stitch the 2.5 inch by 2.5 inch logo just above the heart. Silver estimates that this will generate an extra $100 million annually in new revenue for the league.
Logos on jersey might be beneficial to the teams but whats the plus side to this? It gives teams the opportunity to increase salary caps to bring in more talent to improve teams, possibly larger arenas and other amenities. The larger question is, how will dedicated fans react to this new change. A large quantity of people don’t like change, especially when it boils down to our sports teams, we all feel in our mind that we are part owners. Fans will now be walking advertisements for larger companies that can generate millions to teams and that particular company.
All of this seems like a bright idea and naturally anything to can benefit my Charlotte Bobcats (no comments needed) Im all for it, but what if a team gets a sponor thats not popular with the masses of its fan base? A great example of this would be if Chic-Fil-a would sponsor the LA Lakers and their gay fan base could possibly boycott the sell of their jersey. Im sure thats a bit extreme but when you look at the broad stage that the NBA has there could definitely be some repercussions.
With the possible backlash that this could generate with fans, is the NBA ready for it?