Although the most miserable months of my life (known as the NBA lockout) are over, the NBA is still dealing with a $300 million shortfall on their books. In what I believe to be an excellent idea, the NBA is now considering sponsorships to be featured on team jerseys as a way to raise revenues.
English Premier League teams have always featured sponsors on its jerseys- like Chelsea’s Samsung or Manchester United’s Aon (Man U’s prior sponsor was AIG, but after 2007, they had better places to put their cash than across Wayne Rooney’s chest). So why not take note from the highly profitable EPL and rake in the cash?
Hopefully, by the end of the April meetings, Boston’s Celtics could be replaced with Dunkin Donuts iconic logo. Following that same train of thought, the Lakers could easily stick a few Mercedes Benz stars across that famed purple and yellow.
BusinessWeek NBA spokesman Michael Bass says the agenda is not yet set but that “sponsor logos on NBA uniforms is a subject of ongoing conversation.” Marketing experts say it’s only a matter of time. “When you look at the revenue streams left available, jersey branding is the most significant that hasn’t been exploited,” says David Abrutyn, head of global consulting at sports marketing firm IMG Worldwide. “It’s inevitable,” agrees Frank Vuono, co-founder of 16W Marketing.
Though, there are some folks that might benefit the most from the much-needed exposure. For instance, maybe Goldman Sachs could gain back a foothold at the top Tech advisory league tables by sponsoring the Golden State Warriors. So, while Jeremy Lin might have thought the days of considering a lateral into finance were over, he could soon be reppin' firms JP Morgan and Citi with a Knicks sponsorship.
What do you think? Should investment banks consider sponsorships? If so, they would only choose the most prestigious teams, right?
Interesting idea... something like this does seem inevitable (sponsor logos on NBA uniforms).
I would love to see "los Goldman Sachs" on a jersey. Gotta capture that target market.
But seriously, there is no way that a bank w/o a consumer banking arm would consider this. Teams would be sponsored by beer, insurance, and consumer brands.
yeah i could only see it being consumer brands as well. would be sad as a sports fan to see teams with historic jerseys that haven't changed in ages (or ever) adding logos, but hacks like thunder i wouldnt care a lick about.
thing is the NBA has been trying to stay away from having a negative image for a while (since the debacle at conseco fieldhouse). so even though it's a great idea they have to be able to control the image in my opinion.
Standard Chartered already have Liverpool FC. RBS the 6 Nations. JPM do Rugby 7s.
*HSBC
The Toronto "Research in Motion" Raptors
This something I never understood why American sports didn't try that earlier. In football in Europe, all the Div 1 teams are sponsored by a company (except Barcelona which is endorsed by non-profit organizations).
If the NBA gets ahead in this race, teams will be able to secure $10-15 million deals per year, which maybe what the doctor has ordered. That would be more than enough to cover their losses
I also don't think Goldman Sachs would sponsor anyone since they are not in the retail banking. The added value for them is quite low, unless they are trying to project a nice image of themselves to main street.
i'm all for it if it means cheaper tickets. i mean come on guys. 85 dollars for 300 LEVEL? Lower bowl level are at $230 PER SEAT and these are season subscriber face value tickets.
Citi has sponsored stuff like this before right? I could see them doing it.
yeah. citifield
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