The future of NBA jerseys

Lionel Messi recently broke both the La Liga and Champions League scoring records.In September, Qatar Airways received its five millionth Facebook like, making it the second most “liked” global airline.Its social media presence has increased dramatically as the five-star airline has accrued over 300,000 Twitter followers and placed third among airlines on Instagram. What do these two accomplishments have to do with each other, and how do they affect the NBA?

Well, of course, every time Messi suits up in his red and blue FC Barcelona kit, he also markets Qatar Airways. Who does not want to associate themselves with one of the best clubs in the world? The advertisement on the front and center of the FC Barca jersey links the success of the club, and Messi himself, with the airline. This is just one example of how advertisements on jerseys can grow and develop the brand of a certain company. Yet, the NBA has not adopted this.

Even though ads have not made it onto the jersey, they still are heavily present in NBA arenas. One example of this is that only two NBA arenas currently do not feature a corporate name, after New Orleans Arena became the Smoothie King Center earlier this year.These are Madison Square Garden and The Palace of Auburn Hills. Deals between franchises and corporate sponsors for the naming rights of the arenas make sense for both parties involved. On one hand, the franchise receives millions of dollars from the corporate sponsor. On the other hand, the sponsor receives a public advertisement that does not always seem like an intrusion on fans’ and consumers’ attention.

The league has approved other in-arena and on-court advertisement ideas, but the issue that has created more questions than answers has been ads on jerseys. One problem is that owners have not figured out a system for how to share the money, which is the same issue that caused the lockout that shortened the 2011-2012 season. Former commissioner David Stern stated that he was personally against the idea of advertisements that would compromise the integrity of the NBA uniform. But current commissioner Adam Silver said, “I think it’s inevitable,” at the 2014 IMG World Congress of Sports presented by Sports Business Daily/Journal. In addition to the $100 million that NBA teams could gain from these ads, Silver believes that it is an integral way for sponsors to connect with fans and vice versa. As the NBA grows, Silver wants to reel in as much revenue as possible, and in this case, it means breaking from the tradition of having sponsor-less uniforms.

Whether you are a fan of the advertisements or not, they are coming. Silver has made great strides in marketing NBA basketball, and he believes that jersey ads are the next piece of the puzzle. One of the main issues with the idea is how the owners and the players will share the money. The NBAPA and the owners both have the option of opting out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2017, which will likely happen, especially if there are questions about how revenue is being split.

Ultimately, this is about making money. Opponents of the idea would say that the NBA does not need ads to sell merchandise, which is correct. Supporters would say that this is tapping into an underutilized resource and that the league would benefit from increased revenue and fan engagement. Either way, it doesn’t really matter. Get used to seeing a big fat ad on the jerseys of your favorite team.