Beginning of the End: NBA owners approve ads on uniforms

[Viola73]

17 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

 

We already know they'll look bad. Even if they're done tastefully they'll look worse than not having them.

 

Here's a visual:

 

With ad

 

Without

Oh...the horror.... : I 

[Viola73]

14 minutes ago, Nyk33 said:

 

There is also the mathematical possibility of the Knicks & Nets playing each other in the Eastern Conference finals next year but that doesn't mean its something that should be banked on. 

True...very true...but still a possibility... ; )

[Sport]

I tried to make that about as tastefully done as they'll get and it still looks bad. Most of the time they'll look worse. How do you judging as someone who posts here, a sport uniform aesthete, not have a problem with this?

[Sport]

Pictured: Durant's uniform in ten years when he retires and has his "Kobe Bryant moment"

 

[Viola73]

5 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

I tried to make that about as tastefully done as they'll get and it still looks bad. Most of the time they'll look worse. How do you judging as someone who posts here, a sport uniform aesthete, not have a problem with this?

It is very tasteful and my thinking is that will be the extent of it...maybe not...I don't know...neither do you. 

I guess I don't have a problem with it per se, I just can't get worked up over something that I have no control over, and doesn't affect me, or you, on a daily basis. This is the sign of the times and this is the direction the league is going and you can either get on board or be left behind. You don't have to like it but here we are.

Let me try to put a little sunshine on this topic for you....what if we, as members of this board, could pull our resources together and get a Chris Creamer sponsor patch on a Toronto Raptors jersey....how cool would that be.

[BBTV]

maybe they could put special material in that space that would allow tv networks to superimpose ads on to the shirts rather than actually sew them on. 

 

Kind of like a green screen, or like how they do the ads that are on the hockey glass. 

[Sport]

29 minutes ago, Viola73 said:

It is very tasteful and my thinking is that will be the extent of it...maybe not...I don't know...neither do you. 

I guess I don't have a problem with it per se, I just can't get worked up over something that I have no control over, and doesn't affect me, or you, on a daily basis. This is the sign of the times and this is the direction the league is going and you can either get on board or be left behind. You don't have to like it but here we are.

Let me try to put a little sunshine on this topic for you....what if we, as members of this board, could pull our resources together and get a Chris Creamer sponsor patch on a Toronto Raptors jersey....how cool would that be.

Obsessing over uniform minutia that we have no control over is kind of what we do here. If I didn't have this place I would drive my friends and family crazy talking about logos and uniform stripes. Does this affect me? Not really, though as someone in the advertising industry this is more likely to have an impact on me in a financial sense than most people here. Also, we do have some control. The Buffaslug is a good example. The fans got them to drop that almost as quickly as possible. If there's enough of a backlash against uniform ads in the NBA then maybe they'll drop them and if the NBA drops them then it's less likely that the other leagues will try them. If the ads are a "Success" though then it's far more likely this will spread to the other leagues. 

 

I wouldn't be that excited for a CCSLC patch on the uniforms. Whenever uniwatch links to the forum we're inundated with a bunch of new posters. I'd hate to see the talent that comes in from a basketball jersey ad. 

[MC Buffalo]

OK, I read the first three pages and the last one (page 6), I don't have time to read the rest right now so if what I am about to say is repetitive I apologize.

 

First my personal opinion, which I think we can agree is shared by anyone who cares enough about Logos, Uniforms to even visit this site on a regular basis....

I don't like the idea of ads on the uniforms of the "Big 4" major sports. Yes I am still including Hockey as one of the Big 4.

 

A couple thoughts from my corner of the world...

1) The fastest way for this experiment to fail is for everyone to band together and do financial damage to any company who purchases sponsorship on a uniform.

If the Warriors do put AT&T ads on their jersey as McCarthy mocked up. Then a mass exodus from AT&T to Verizon, Sprint, Dish Network, Local Cable Companies etc. hurting AT&T's bottom line is the only message they would ever receive.

The problem is this community certainly isn't large enough to cause this type of ripple affect and I just don't see that much of an uproar amongst the masses.

Another issue would be if one team has HONDA on their jersey, there's likely to be FORD, CHEVY, TOYOTA on others. We'll all end up driving KIA's. (no offense to anyone out there driving a KIA).

2) I've read a few time, these leagues are making plenty of money and don't need this extra revenue stream.

While this might be true in the NFL, I'm not so sure for the other 3 leagues. I hear over and over that if an NHL team does not make the playoffs they will most likely lose money. Maybe not in Toronto or Montreal, but most certainly in smaller markets.

3) When it comes to NASCAR and sponsorship on the Cars and Driver's Fire suits. Not only are NASCAR fans accepting of it, but some fans are so loyal to a "brand" that they will root for a certain car depending on main sponsor regardless of who the driver is. AND if someone really likes a driver it can be a big time blow when the sponsor changes on the car. Trust me when Mark Martin went from driving the #6 VALVOLINE Ford for about 10 years straight to driving the #6 VIAGARA Ford the next year (yes this really happened), you saw a lot less Mark Martin memorabilia at races. Make all the jokes you want about NASCAR's majority Southern fan base, but they are loyal and they spend a lot of money on merchandising.

Someone mentioned that if you took the sponsors off the cars it would be so much better. I think within one season of seeing different colored cars with just numbers on them racing NASCAR fans would start to bail in large numbers.

4) Last observation.

Sales of NBA Jerseys probably won't be affected since they have announced that the ads will not appear on the retail uniforms for sale.

 

[MC Buffalo]

51 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

I wouldn't be that excited for a CCSLC patch on the uniforms. Whenever uniwatch links to the forum we're inundated with a bunch of new posters. I'd hate to see the talent that comes in from a basketball jersey ad. 

 

McCarthy - I hope this was tongue in cheek.

Kind of an elitist attitude that only folks who have been posting to this site for the past 10 years could have anything insightful or useful to contribute.

[Sport]

50 minutes ago, MC Buffalo said:

 

McCarthy - I hope this was tongue in cheek.

Kind of an elitist attitude that only folks who have been posting to this site for the past 10 years could have anything insightful or useful to contribute.

It wasn't meant to be taken that seriously. Of course you don't have to be a longterm member here to be a quality contributor. It's that every time the boards get some bigger exposure we get more posters and the more posters that join the more posters come in that aren't of great quality. 

[OnWis97]

1 hour ago, MC Buffalo said:

OK, I read the first three pages and the last one (page 6), I don't have time to read the rest right now so if what I am about to say is repetitive I apologize.

 

First my personal opinion, which I think we can agree is shared by anyone who cares enough about Logos, Uniforms to even visit this site on a regular basis....

I don't like the idea of ads on the uniforms of the "Big 4" major sports. Yes I am still including Hockey as one of the Big 4.

 

A couple thoughts from my corner of the world...

1) The fastest way for this experiment to fail is for everyone to band together and do financial damage to any company who purchases sponsorship on a uniform.

If the Warriors do put AT&T ads on their jersey as McCarthy mocked up. Then a mass exodus from AT&T to Verizon, Sprint, Dish Network, Local Cable Companies etc. hurting AT&T's bottom line is the only message they would ever receive.

The problem is this community certainly isn't large enough to cause this type of ripple affect and I just don't see that much of an uproar amongst the masses.

Another issue would be if one team has HONDA on their jersey, there's likely to be FORD, CHEVY, TOYOTA on others. We'll all end up driving KIA's. (no offense to anyone out there driving a KIA).

2) I've read a few time, these leagues are making plenty of money and don't need this extra revenue stream.

While this might be true in the NFL, I'm not so sure for the other 3 leagues. I hear over and over that if an NHL team does not make the playoffs they will most likely lose money. Maybe not in Toronto or Montreal, but most certainly in smaller markets.

3) When it comes to NASCAR and sponsorship on the Cars and Driver's Fire suits. Not only are NASCAR fans accepting of it, but some fans are so loyal to a "brand" that they will root for a certain car depending on main sponsor regardless of who the driver is. AND if someone really likes a driver it can be a big time blow when the sponsor changes on the car. Trust me when Mark Martin went from driving the #6 VALVOLINE Ford for about 10 years straight to driving the #6 VIAGARA Ford the next year (yes this really happened), you saw a lot less Mark Martin memorabilia at races. Make all the jokes you want about NASCAR's majority Southern fan base, but they are loyal and they spend a lot of money on merchandising.

Someone mentioned that if you took the sponsors off the cars it would be so much better. I think within one season of seeing different colored cars with just numbers on them racing NASCAR fans would start to bail in large numbers.

4) Last observation.

Sales of NBA Jerseys probably won't be affected since they have announced that the ads will not appear on the retail uniforms for sale.

 

I have thought about this and it's just not realistic.  There are not enough people that are upset about this.  Heck, while I really don't think I'll patronize the sponsors more, I don't anticipate avoiding them either.  And I am among the .0001% most pissed about this.

 

McCarthy's Golden State mock-up is missing the swoosh.

 

I will forever scratch my head over how anyone can consider any of this "tasteful."   It's all tasteless; all of it. Right down to the swooshes on NFL sleeves and the little majestic logo on the MLB sleeve.  Yes, some things are less distasteful than others.  I almost never notice the Majestic logo, so that's that next best thing to no corporate logo.  The Nike logo, NHL Reebox, and all the other manufacturer logos are distasteful and the fact that we've come to accept them does not change that.  The AT&T logo on that Warriors mock-up is the next step of distastefulness because, 1) it's a bit bigger, 2) it's a second corporate logo in addition to the manufacturer, and 3) every team will have a different one, which in  my opinion further dilutes the "team" brand in favor of the "corporate" brand.  

 

It will be even more distasteful when the NBA goes to the next step (and they will), be.  And the ultimate in tastelessness will be when the corporate sponsor is bigger than the team mark.  It will happen.  In all four sports.  Maybe that's 20 years off, but it'll happen.

 

There's no right and wrong here.  It's not wrong to be indifferent to this.  It's not wrong (though confusing to me, I admit) to prefer this.  The reaction out of sports media has been minimal...basically a negligible amount of dislike followed by getting back to the business of Kobe or the playoffs.  So, yeah, most of us (on this board) lose while most fans neither lose nor win.

 

For my personal definition, in no way, shape or form, can I call that Golden State mock-up "tasteful."  But I know some people do.  So specifically to those who do (Viola and anyone else), where's the line?  My line is any logo not connected with the team is in poor taste, even if to a minimal degree.  Would WNBA-like uniforms be a problem?  If so, where's the line?  If not, then I guess we'll be there some day because the fans just are not going to care.

[rams80]

5 hours ago, Viola73 said:

True....but the NBA has had certain promotions with regarding getting kids to read so there is the "possibility" for certain ad space on jerseys for libraries sponsored by the NBA. Not to mention the "possibility" of corporations sponsoring ads of said schools.

 

Libraries can't afford that ad space and stop pretending that they can.  And the only corporate sponsors would be charter schools.

[Maximus89]

Sorry if it's already been discussed, but i read that the Rockets owner Leslie Alexander was 1 of only 2 owners who voted against ads on jerseys.  Does that mean the Rockets could just go on without ads? Is it an owners decision or a league mandate? 

[OnWis97]

4 minutes ago, Maximus89 said:

Sorry if it's already been discussed, but i read that the Rockets owner Leslie Alexander was 1 of only 2 owners who voted against ads on jerseys.  Does that mean the Rockets could just go on without ads? Is it an owners decision or a league mandate? 

Who was the other?

 

I doubt the Rockets won't do the adds.  As discussed above, half of the money goes into a league-wide pool.  There is sharing with players, etc.  So I suspect they have to do it.  I suppose the league could devise a way to determine how much the Rockets could  receive and make them put that much (or 50% of it) into the "pool." If they actually do that, they'd have my respect.

[Maximus89]

I don't know who the other owner was.

[ICTknight]

While im not a fan of the NBA this still sucks because I know that the rest of the big 4 are watching this closely. I have never had a problem with the manufacturers logo on jerseys. I see it like how car manufacturers place their logo on their cars. I dont really see a difference. The CFL was the first league that I started watching that had sponsers on the jerseys and I got used to it pretty quickly. It is to the point that I couldnt name the sponsers on Calgary or Hamilton's jerseys (the 2 teams I watch most). Im hoping that there is a similar effect when NFL, NHL, and MLB do it.

[BBTV]

2 hours ago, ICTknight said:

While im not a fan of the NBA this still sucks because I know that the rest of the big 4 are watching this closely. I have never had a problem with the manufacturers logo on jerseys. I see it like how car manufacturers place their logo on their cars. I dont really see a difference. The CFL was the first league that I started watching that had sponsers on the jerseys and I got used to it pretty quickly. It is to the point that I couldnt name the sponsers on Calgary or Hamilton's jerseys (the 2 teams I watch most). Im hoping that there is a similar effect when NFL, NHL, and MLB do it.

 

HUGE difference.  With a car, there's no competing brand.  The car itself is a representative of the manufacturer, so it's natural for the logo to appear there.  With a jersey, the entire point of the jersey is to represent another brand (the team.)  THe manufacturer's logo has nothing to do with the team's, and is just slapped on to their jersey.  They're really not comparable situations at all.

[Thomas]

7 hours ago, Maximus89 said:

I don't know who the other owner was.

I think it was the Lakers owner , but it´s just a guess

[masterchaoss]

2 hours ago, Thomas said:

I think it was the Lakers owner , but it´s just a guess

It probably was. Jeanie Buss has been openly against ads in the few interviews I've heard bring it up. I also remember her saying that she has no intentions to put ads on the unis if it was an option to keep their look classic. I'm not totally sure of my memory on that last part.

[MC Buffalo]

15 hours ago, ICTknight said:

While im not a fan of the NBA this still sucks because I know that the rest of the big 4 are watching this closely. I have never had a problem with the manufacturers logo on jerseys. I see it like how car manufacturers place their logo on their cars. I dont really see a difference. The CFL was the first league that I started watching that had sponsers on the jerseys and I got used to it pretty quickly. It is to the point that I couldnt name the sponsers on Calgary or Hamilton's jerseys (the 2 teams I watch most). Im hoping that there is a similar effect when NFL, NHL, and MLB do it.

When I watch a CFL game, I am more thrown off by the number of ads on the playing field than the jerseys. You would think it wouldn't seem so odd since the NHL has had ads on the ice surface for so long, but they just stick out so much more than on the ice.