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Critics Of 76ers-StubHub Jersey Deal Concerned More Advertising Could Come

The fallout from StubHub's deal with the 76ers to become the first on-jersey advertiser in the NBA was swift, with several on-air analysts and pundits yesterday expressing disappointment with the deal and concern about how far the trend may go. ESPN's Rachel Nichols gave the 76ers and StubHub her "Dubious Distinction Award" and said, "I hate this. ... This really bothers me." Former Lakers coach Byron Scott said, "If they get to the point where it looks like it's a NASCAR walking billboard, then I'm going to have a real big problem with it.” Nichols: “This is the gateway drug, don't be fooled. ‘Oh, it's a little patch, it looks fine.’ ... I don't want to be advertised to the moment someone’s going down for the monster jam and the excitement of that.” She added, “The wheels of progress are rolling over me because this has already happened, and I need to just deal with it” (“The Jump,” ESPN, 5/16). The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke said a "very scary thing happened" with the 76ers-StubHub deal. Plaschke: "This is all leading to something bad. They got $5 million for it -- can you imagine how much the Lakers will get for it? In a couple of years, it will be advertisements everywhere" (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 5/16). ESPN’s Jemele Hill said, “Even though I know that this is probably something that was inevitable ... it just feels wrong. It just doesn't feel right.” ESPN's Michael Smith added, "Imagine Dr. J with a StubHub on there." Hill: "It seems to cheapen it." Smith: "When you see Sixers and StubHub, it’s like, ‘What is the world coming to!?” Hill: “You feel like a piece of your soul has died” (“His & Hers,” ESPN2, 5/16).

PLAYERS' POINT OF VIEW: Kings F Caron Butler said he has no problem with jersey advertising "if it helps the player" and "goes to enhance the game." Butler said he has the "utmost confidence" in NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA Exec Dir Michele Roberts to "make it right for the players." He said, "It's going to make sense in the long run for us" ("The Jump," ESPN, 5/16).

FANS SEEM AMBIVALENT: SPORTS ON EARTH's Will Leitch noted sports teams will "eventually have logos on all their jerseys because people will give them lots of money to do it," and the "only thing that would stop them is us." If fans "revolt, teams would have no choice." Leitch: "I don't see any sense, really at all, that fans are going to revolt. In fact, I don't think people mind." Leitch wrote he hates the "idea of advertisements on jerseys," but the "average basketball fan doesn't care one lick." Casual fans are "not going to stop watching Sixers games or stop buying their jerseys because of a small-ish StubHub logo" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 5/16). FOXSPORTS.com's Chris Chase wrote maybe it is a "resigned apathy that the marketing folks have won again, but it's hardly worth complaining about." Chase: "This is the entire argument against ads on jerseys: It's never been done before" (FOXSPORTS.com. 5/16).

SELLING THEMSELVES SHORT: BILLYPENN.com's Dan Levy wrote sports fans are "okay with giant adidas, Nike or Under Armour logos all over their apparel because they 'make' the jerseys, but smacking a little StubHub graphic for $5 million a year is too far?" Getting upset at a logo on a jersey because of "some imaginary tug-of-war between civic pride and corporate greed is misguided anger." If 76ers fans should be mad at anything, it is the "return on the deal." StubHub reportedly is paying $5M annually as part of their three-year deal, and people have to "wonder how much" the Knicks and Lakers will get for their jerseys. Levy: "What about the Warriors or Cavs, two teams with the most jerseys sales and who are on national television all the time? Don’t be mad that the Sixers have a small logo on their chest. Be mad at how little they got for it" (BILLYPENN.com, 5/16). ESPN’s David Jacoby said, "It seems like they undervalued this. They set the market pretty low, so you know no one’s taking less than the Sixers. If the Sixers are getting $5 million, I'm getting at least $15 million. The Warriors are like, ‘Don't even talk to me with anything less than 30’” (“Jalen & Jacoby,” ESPN2, 5/17).

SELIG HOPES MLB DOESN'T FOLLOW
: Former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig today said he hopes jersey ads do not appear in MLB. He said, “I am old-fashioned to a great extent, but there’s something about the uniforms … where they really are part of our game and everything. So I’m sensitive about that” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 5/17).

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