I’m all for allowing advertising on NBA jerseys. It’s not my decision, but if it were, they would be on Mavs uniforms already.
Why? Because the NBA is better positioned thanany professional league to benefit from the uniform ads.
Commissioner Stern and the NBA have made a significant investment into making the NBA an international league. Starting with the Dream Team in 1992, the visibility and popularity of the league and our players have exploded. Hundreds and hundreds of millions have watched our games in China. Our games are shownin more than 212 countries. Our merchandise is sold around the world. We are probably the 2nd most popular game around the world, behind only soccer.
What the NBA doesn’t have at this moment (at least that I can otherwise figure out ), is a way to sellall of those fans and eyeballs to international companies that market globally.
7 or 8 million people saw the Spurs play the Suns Monday night on ABC. Far more saw the game and highlights around the world. We can’t sell ads in 212 broadcasts around the world, we can sell branding on our uniforms that will reach those viewers around the world.
Putting a logo(s) on our jerseys is the wayfor us to openthe door to every major international company whomay only do limited business in the US, to become a customer of the NBA and its teams.
We have seen a Chinese Beer Company, Yanjing buy a sponsorship from the Houston Rockets as a way to open up theirUS business, but apparently, it was more important to reach Chinese Beer Drinkers watching Yao Ming play on Chinese TV.If this beer company is paying what has been reported as more than $1mm dollars per year for 6 years, how much would they or another companypay for a patch on the Rockets uniforms?
I’m not suggesting that we sell on-uniform logos to beer companies. There would certainly be limits on what companies and which products we could sell to, but if a beer company is willing to pay that much, how much would another company pay for what would certainly be a unique worldwide opportunity?
Not only would their logo appear on uniforms shown on broadcasts in more than 212 countries, but those logos would appear on replica uniforms sold around the world as well.
That is a unique marketing and branding opportunity that ONLY the NBA can offer. The NFL can’t (although they do offer logos on NFL Europe jerseys), MLB can’t, Nascar can’t. No one else can.
It’s an incredible opportuity for the NBA to monetize the lead we have built in making the NBA an international game and brand. It’s an incredible opportunity for us to reach major international companies for whom we don’t otherwise have products that can reach the multimillion dollar sales figures.
The NBA has the lead. Now. All US based professional leagues are working hard to follow the NBA’s lead and grow their fan bases internationally. It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen at some point. There will be competition.
The timefor the NBA to seize this opportunity is now…for the right price of course.