Perhaps the “B” in NBA should stand for brands, not basketball.
The league approved today a three-year test program that lets team sell advertisements on basketball jerseys. Starting in 2017, NBA teams can sell brands a tiny 2.5-by-2.5 inch space under the player’s left shoulder.
While it’s a small space, it has the potential to bring in big revenue for the NBA. Bloomberg reports that ads from the league’s 30 teams could reel in $150 million in yearly revenue. Under the guidelines, the teams will keep half of it and the other half will be dispersed to players in a revenue-sharing pool.
“Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association with our teams,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “The additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways.”
The ad’s introduction begins next year when Nike’s $1 billion contract of producing the NBA’s jerseys begins its eight year run, taking over Adidas’ agreement. The NBA follows European soccer leagues, which have ads on its kits for several years, along with NASCAR, Major League Soccer and the WNBA.
Some fans are already creatively reimagining the new jerseys:
lakers jerseys next year , after the NBA approved ads on jerseys pic.twitter.com/AM3qd0Mcy4
— cake (@CaleJackson17) April 15, 2016
I thought the ads on jerseys were going to be kind of gross, but they’re actually pretty subtle. pic.twitter.com/6h4RsMzqWg
— Steve McPherson (@steventurous) April 15, 2016
This Ads on NBA jerseys thing could end up being quite funny@KySportsRadio @ryanlemond pic.twitter.com/EeACs35u50
— John Robic's Hair (@JohnRobicsHair) April 15, 2016
Images via Shutterstock.
More in Marketing
Marketing Briefing: What recent earnings for P&G, Unilever and Coke say about where the industry is headed
We read the corporate tea leaves to decipher some of the marketing trends and potential headwinds that executives at Unilever, Procter & Gamble and The Coca-Cola Company detailed during their earnings calls.
Why Roblox’s Clip It is using its billion-view moment to launch an ad product
The user experience of “Clip It” is similar to that of platforms such as TikTok and YouTube Shorts, allowing Roblox users to view, create and share short-form videos of their in-game avatars. Since launching in March 2024, it has rapidly become one of the most popular experiences on Roblox.
Inside the strategy that grew Cristiano Ronaldo’s YouTube account to 1M subscribers in 90 minutes
Ronaldo has created the largest sports-themed YouTube channel on the web in two months – but he’s not done it alone.