With the NBA crossing the Rubicon by selling ad space on jerseys, the obvious question that follows is, Who will be next among the big stick-and-ball leagues?
Certainly we know who’s not at the head of the line as far as selling ads on uniforms.
“That’s NOT something that’s under consideration,” said Renie Anderson, NFL senior vice president of sponsorship and partnership management. “Our focus is authentically integrating brands in unique ways.”
The consensus among industry executives is that the NHL is the league that’s most likely to move next. Like the NBA, the NHL is switching uniform suppliers starting with the 2017-18 season, while another interesting — and perhaps telling — factor is that the league plans to have sponsor patches on the jerseys at its World Cup of Hockey tournament in September.
“To me, that would be the right moment for the NHL to bring to bear they are next in line to monetize jersey sponsorships,” said Michael Neuman, managing partner of Scout Sports & Entertainment, which represents NHL league sponsor Geico.
“Now that the NBA has done it, everyone will be having the discussion,” said Dominic Curran, CEO for Synergy USA. “I would guess the NHL would be next. As a league, you can see it on their uniform.”
But not everyone points to the NHL as the likely next one up. Said Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils CEO Scott O’Neil, “It’s anyone’s guess, but I’d say MLB, just because [MLB president of business and media Bob] Bowman seems to want to try new things and so does the new commissioner.”
Whoever might come next, uniform ads are now seen as inevitable across sports by many.
“I like the fact the NBA is innovating here,” said Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin. “The revenue-share programs will be different, but I don’t see why it won’t happen across pro sports.”
