NBA Will Start Having Ads on Jerseys In 2017-18
By Ty Duffy
NBA jerseys will have ads. ESPN is reporting the league has approved a “three-year pilot program” to sell ad space on jerseys. The pilot program will begin during the 2017-18 season.
The pilot program will not go the full soccer route, yet. Ads will be limited to a 2.5-inch by 2.5-inch space. Ads will not be on the jerseys fans buy, unless teams want to do it.
This move was perhaps inevitable. The reason is money. Per ESPN, the league estimates it will generate $120-$180 million in additional revenue.
One could see that sum increasing in the future with expanded ad space, given the league’s penetration in China. Premier League clubs averaged $15.6 million this season. Manchester United alone earns nearly $70 million per year from its’ Chevrolet sponsorship.
MLS clubs, without nearly the media penetration of the NBA, brought in about $56 million collectively last season. It’s hard to parse out, since the league sells its rights as a package with U.S. Soccer, but that may be at or close to what the league earned in TV revenue.
Much will be made of this when it happens. But, fans have already tolerated weird designs on the front of jerseys and sleeves. They will adjust. We’re long past the point where complaints about the corporatization of professional sports have any poignancy.