It has been "nearly a year" since the NBA gave teams the green light to place ads on jerseys, but so far only five teams "have secured deals," according to Ahiza Garcia of CNN MONEY. The 76ers were the first team to sign a deal -- in May with StubHub -- but then "nothing until October," when the Kings signed with Blue Diamond Growers. Since January three teams have "announced deals -- the Celtics partnered with GE, the Nets teamed up with software company Infor" and the Jazz signed a deal with software company Qualtrics. The three recent deals "may be a sign that more are on the way, but the slow pace is a sign that it's been hard to put a value on the new ad space." It is also a "newer concept for American sports teams, making it harder for advertisers to determine what they'll get for their investment." The patches are "not a long-term guarantee -- they're part of a three-year pilot program in the NBA." And most of the companies that have "agreed to buy the jersey ad space have done so as part of a larger marketing deal" (MONEY.CNN.com, 2/14). The Cavaliers reportedly have a jersey patch deal with Goodyear, but it has not been confirmed by the team or the NBA (THE DAILY).
RALLYING POINT: In Salt Lake City, Gordon Monson wrote fans "can handle" logos from Nike or adidas on jerseys. But in leagues already making millions and billions of dollars, "making a few more with corporate patches on uniforms seems downright greedy." However, the Jazz' addition of a "5 For The Fight" patch to promote cancer research "was heartening." Monson: "How can anyone complain about that? Not me, that's for sure. And not you. ... So credit to the Jazz, credit to Qualtrics." Qualtrics CEO Ryan Smith said, "This is the right thing to do. As much as I would love to put Qualtrics on it, this idea of raising $50 million for cancer research was something we couldn't stop thinking about. The Jazz were open to our ideas and how we wanted to use the patch. ... We just didn't go with the highest bidder. It's something we all can rally around" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/16).
