Despite on-court woes, the Philadelphia 76ers have become the first team in any of the major US sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL) to land a jersey advertising deal. On Monday morning, the 76ers announced that Stubhub, a ticket company, will have its logo displayed on the team’s jerseys. The three-year pilot program will begin in the 2017-18 season. Stubhub will pay the Sixers $5 million a year for the honor of being on their jerseys.
The patch, located on the front upper left corner of the jersey, will also appear on all jerseys sold in the team’s arena pro shop in Philadelphia; but that is the only place. The topic of jersey advertisements has been controversial as of late with some fearing that their beloved teams will become basketball playing billboards. One could understand their point of view especially when it comes to storied programs. However, we live in a capitalistic world and sports leagues are indeed businesses. With the Sixers taking the first plunge, expect other teams to follow suit in efforts to increase their bottom lines.