Whether we like it or not, the NBA is set to have advertisement patches on the left shoulder of their jerseys next season.
The league and Nike unveiled their new jersey model last week without including any ads on their examples. About a third of the league, as of July 26, had selected a sponsor for their ad patch. The rest of the league will soon follow.
Although some fans are a bit irked by the inclusion of ads on their favorite team’s jerseys, this will serve as a revenue stream for the league going forward which could ultimately be a good thing for their favorite team if it increases the salary cap.
What we know so far
Just a bit over a year ago, the league’s board of governors approved a pilot program that would include jersey ad patches for the 2017-18 season after years of rumors and speculation.
At the time, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he hoped the process would generate about $100 million to the league’s revenue stream over the course of the season. Whatever revenues the league gains from the program are tacked into its basketball related income system — meaning it will be split with the players.
The league’s teams all began searching for partners to include on their jerseys. To this point, 10 teams have partners.
But I don’t like the idea of ads on my favorite team’s jersey
Don’t fret! The ads will be mostly inconsequential. The space companies are permitted to use is only 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches, meaning it’s a small space on the left side of your favorite jersey.
Plus, if you’re into buying jerseys, the ad won’t appear on team products for now. And some teams are even opting to use team-color friendly logos from the companies they’re advertising.
The program is only a pilot — meaning if the NBA doesn’t see the type of success they want to from it, the ads will go away. However, the most likely outcome here is they will. They’re generating more revenue for the league from this.
If it’s successful, we could see more ad space taken up on jerseys in the future. But that isn’t something we should be concerned about now.
The patch tracker
76ers and Stubhub
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Cleveland Cavaliers and Goodyear
FIRST LOOK: Goodyear logo on Cavaliers game jersey starting next season pic.twitter.com/JlsJzj1ME3
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) May 15, 2017
Brooklyn Nets and Infor
Infor logo on @BrooklynNets patch has changed. All black & white. Much better look by getting rid of red. pic.twitter.com/hYWJdCyMHX
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 11, 2017
Boston Celtics and GE
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Orlando Magic and Disney
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Utah Jazz and 5 for the Fight
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Toronto Raptors and Sun Life
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Milwaukee Bucks and Harley Davidson
Bucks x @harleydavidson x @nike
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) August 10, 2017
The Icon: https://t.co/b0Af7FPMTt
The Association: https://t.co/GudqrFJ9md pic.twitter.com/Vz6bVOoBei
Minnesota Timberwolves and Fitbit
The new threads have dropped. Bring on the New Era. #NewEraNewThreads pic.twitter.com/t0PjCcp8II
— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) August 10, 2017
Sacramento Kings and Blue Diamond Almonds
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Detroit Pistons and Flagstar Bank
JUST IN: The @DetroitPistons have signed @flagstar to be the team's jersey ad sponsor. pic.twitter.com/FZR1R38bdZ
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 26, 2017
Denver Nuggets and Western Union Bank
We're both proud to call Colorado home. It's a perfect fit.
— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) August 1, 2017
Welcome to the team, @WesternUnion | https://t.co/1hQdtHHLir pic.twitter.com/0RWG3TDzsQ
Golden State Warriors and Rakuten, an electronics company
BREAKING: @warriors sign jersey patch deal with Rakuten, 3-year deal worth $20 million annually https://t.co/0yxwfvHXC6 pic.twitter.com/dfDuBjnotZ
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) September 12, 2017
New Orleans Pelicans and Zatarains
Breaking: @Zatarains logo to be featured on #Pelicans jerseys! #DoItBig #NOLA pic.twitter.com/heLWDXOsW4
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) October 25, 2017
Charlotte Hornets and Lending Tree
OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) November 13, 2017
Welcome to the #BuzzCity family, @LendingTree! pic.twitter.com/ZgUfgiAIan
Atlanta Hawks and ShareCare
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New York Knicks and SquareSpace
Knicks X @squarespace, a partnership celebrating all those who hustle hard and aren’t afraid to chase their dreams. pic.twitter.com/CsXJB4JnHu
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) October 10, 2017
Los Angeles Lakers and Wish
See the updated Lakers look with Wish!! https://t.co/Tw6OOqbnaG pic.twitter.com/D9EGCESGj7
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 21, 2017
Miami Heat and Ultimate Software
Miami HEAT x @UltimateHCM#UltiHEAT pic.twitter.com/ruvcoKuAe4
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) September 21, 2017
Los Angeles Clippers and Bumble
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We’ll continue to update the tracker with images and teams as more information comes.