NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called the idea of putting sponsor patches on jerseys "manifest destiny." Appearing yesterday on ESPN's "The Jump," Silver said he would "never do anything that effects the four corners of the court, the competition itself." ESPN's Rachel Nichols wondered why the league would "need revenue on jerseys" after signing a new $24B television deal. She said, "I see ads all along the court. I get commercials interrupting play. Why at the very moment someone is stuffing the ball into the basket do I need to be advertised to?” Silver called it a "fair question," but he said, "One of the reasons we want to do it is that it creates an additional investment (by) those companies in the league, meaning that there's almost no sponsor ... (whose) only decision is going to be to manifest its brand just on that small patch on the uniform. Once they put their name on the jerseys, they'll then use their media to promote the NBA extensively. That's probably the greatest reason for us to do it.” Nichols asked, “Isn't there a point where the fan experience also comes into play?” Silver: “There is that line and it's an ongoing discussion at the league and I'd say there are lots of things we turn down all the time." But he added he did not believe the concept of jersey ads "affects the competition or effects the fan experience” ("The Jump," ESPN, 3/23).
