Word leaked in recent weeks that the power that be in the NBA, specifically commissioner Adam Silver, are considering adding sponsor ads to the basketball uniforms worn during games.
While fans of NASCAR and the
Premier League have gotten used to this sort of thing, the four major American professional sports have thus far resisted the deluge of cash that would follow such a move.
Anyone paying attention has known for a while this was the way the wind was blowing. Still, that doesn't mean we have to like it. I mean, I love fig newtons as much as the next guy, but it's not as though the NBA is struggling to make ends meet.
A Nike Swoosh or Under Armour emblem, identifying the maker of the uniform, is one thing. The sneakers and basketball jerseys and the status that comes with them are all a part of the culture of the game at this point.
But the prospect of airlines and mobile carriers advertising on Lebron's chest in the finals will certainly seem foreign to many fans. Weirdly, uniforms have been one place in the sports world where aesthetic considerations were placed before commercial interests. Alas, those days seem to be nearing an end.
But the prospect of airlines and mobile carriers advertising on Lebron's chest in the finals will certainly seem foreign to many fans. Weirdly, uniforms have been one place in the sports world where aesthetic considerations were placed before commercial interests. Alas, those days seem to be nearing an end.
