NBA Commissioner Adam Silver on Friday opened the annual All-Star Technology Summit in Charlotte by "touting the 'smart jersey of the future.'" Silver "used an app on a phone to change the number and name on the back of a jersey that was displayed on the side of the stage where he spoke, flipping it" from a Stephen Curry model to a Michael Jordan model. Silver then "laid out what a fully customizable fan experience may look like" in the NBA in '38 (AP, 2/15).
LIKE A GOOD NEIGHBOR: State Farm has signed its fourth league-level deal with an esports property, taking the insurance category in North America only for the Overwatch League in what is described as a multiyear deal. In '18, State Farm did deals with Rocket League, NBA 2K League and Riot Games’ LCS (Ben Fischer, THE DAILY).
LOGO LEAK? In Nashville, Nicklaus Gray noted Lids.com "presented a pair of Nashville MLS hats for sale on Thursday," and the hats "sported a new logo with the Nashville SC branding and a darker shade of gold than the one currently used by the current USL club." Those who clicked to buy one of the hats were "redirected to the Lids.com homepage." By noon, the hats were "deleted from the site." The club, which is set to join MLS in '20, has been "promoting a major announcement during its 'March to MLS' event on Feb. 20" (TENNESSEAN.com, 2/14).
ALLY INVASION: ESPN.com's Ryan McGee noted Ally, which signed on as Jimmie Johnson's full-time primary sponsor for this season, has "chosen to roll the dice on NASCAR sponsorship when more and more companies are not." For Johnson's No. 48 car, gone is the "familiar blue paint of Lowe's, the only Cup sponsor that Johnson has ever had." Lowe's "routinely handed down the paint jobs for the No. 48 Chevy from corporate HQ with little or no discussion." So, Ally's marketing brass "caught Johnson off guard when they not only came to him for input on the new look of his ride, they basically gave him carte blanche" (ESPN.com, 2/14).
