Texans Pitching Sponsorships On Team's Practice Jerseys

Texans Trying To Sell Sponsorship Patches On Practice Uniforms

STERN OK WITH MERCURY DEAL: NBA Commissioner David Stern said the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury's jersey sponsorship deal with LifeLock was a "logical step" for the team and the league. Stern: "I suppose if I had objected strenuously to it, it wouldn’t have gone forward." He noted the NBA is "mindful of the potential opportunity," and shirt sponsorships are the "kind of thing that’s sometimes better studied than acted upon, and I think that it’s something that all sports leagues will ultimately consider." Stern: "You may recall that leagues didn’t used to have even apparel logos on their uniforms and now they do, and so it’s an interesting issue." However, Stern added he does not think jersey sponsors will "happen any time soon in the NBA” ("The Dan Patrick Show," 6/1).

STEP TOO FAR? ESPN.com's Paul Lukas wrote the NBA would "love" to do jersey-sponsorship deals such as the Mercury's deal "if they thought they could get away it, but they realize there'd probably be too big an outcry." Lukas: "Pulling this type of deal with a young, low-profile league like the WNBA is one thing; doing it with long-established team brands like the Celtics and the Spurs would be something else. ... Selling off the team's jersey sends a terrible message that our civic institutions are for sale. Bottom line: Just because you can sell something doesn't mean you should sell it" (ESPN.com, 6/2). In Seattle, Greg Johns wrote he is "nowhere near ready to see corporate logos replace team names on sports jerseys of established franchises and familiar uniforms." It will be "hard enough to swallow when Husky Stadium inevitably becomes Fill-In-The-Blank Stadium," as Univ. of Washington AD Scott Woodward "accepts the financial reality that private money is the only option to drive his needed overhaul." Johns: "I shudder to think the Seahawks jersey could someday bear Honda across the front. I'm not eager to see the Mariners become billboards for Bank of America" (SEATTLEPI.com, 6/2).

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