The Best way to Sell-Out

In the past few months there has been lots of discourse regarding the jerseys our professional athletes wear. Currently the NBA seems to be leading the conversation about including sponsor logos on the jerseys themselves, but this may be an issue that traverses between all American sports. Internationally, it may be hard to find sports jerseys that don’t have a sponsor stitched alongside the team name. In some cases the name of the sponsor is just as famous as the name of the team. I have been a fan of Chelsea football club from the Barclays Premier League for a while and I can admit that at first, I recognized Samsung as the sponsor before I knew the team’s actual name, “The Blues.” As far as American sports are concerned there are already athletes whose clothing is riddled with advertisements. The MLS, NASCAR, and the WNBA all sport sponsors on their jerseys yet the quality of the sport has not dissolved, so why are people so against this move.

I love the Samsung Football Club

Many argue that this is an abomination and in essence an example of “selling-out.” In response I would ask, “Where do the Lakers play?” or maybe even “Who makes those Jordan’s you’re wearing?” What would their response be? It seems as though people forget that sponsors and advertisements are rampant in professional sports because we are so used to seeing it. You can’t walk two feet in any arena without a sponsorship ad, so why would there be any resistance for another sponsor on the team’s jersey? If I play devil’s advocate I could claim that I fell in love with my team’s logo, and that it’s the insignia I use daily to proclaim my loyalty to that team. If teams were to start selling Jerseys with RedBull stitched on them, the message would be confused because the consistency is tossed out the window. For example; Dolphin’s Stadium was once Landshark Stadium, which was once Pro Player Stadium, which was once Joe Robbie Stadium. I don’t have the money to be buying a relevant Jersey every year.  Now, while all of the aforementioned issues are fair, they don’t necessarily mean that that is how it will be.

I believe that in order to ease Americans into accepting jersey sponsors, NBA teams should allow their special jerseys, like the Christmas games and “Noche Latina,” to be sponsored. For example, “Noche Latina” could be sponsored by Taco Bell. Taco Bell and the NBA team can then collaborate on the design of the jersey and put them up for sale. This would be no different to how LeBron wears a new pair of shoes every night. I believe this will be a new and unique way to incorporate sponsors on pro jerseys that fans would be eager to collect. I mean, how cool would this conversation be: “Hey did you get that special edition ESPN Halloween Jersey?” “No, but I did get the 2014 RedBull Christmas Jersey on eBay?” “Nice, I’m definitely jealous.” Besides why would your team earning more money be a negative thing? I mean, their primary goal is to get us interested. A few extra million would make things easier for all of us