NHL And Corporate Advertising.....On Sweaters !

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

 

 

 

 

 

From NBC Sports:

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/17/no-ads-on-hockey-jerseys-yet-but-rangers-experiment-with-computer-chips/

 

From TSN Canada:

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=461971

 

Seems Gnome Bettman and his administration have turned down the notion of having corporations "buy" space on player sweaters.......for the time being.

Both articles quote a $120 million revenue for allowing companies to do that with the sweaters the players wear during games.

 

Personally, if this ever comes to pass, it would be a huge turn off for me.

I won't sit here and say something stupid like "I will boycott NHL games", however, one of the things I really enjoy about watching a pro hockey game, whether its a team I like or not, is to watch the many beautiful hockey jerseys float around the ice as players compete in the game.

 

To me, hockey jerseys are one of the things that capture who and what a team is. Of course, they have varying degrees of appeal depending on the individual fan, but the bottom line is, many teams go to great lengths to try and get "right" on a sweater what the team represents.

 

The Lightning for instance, moved to a simpler logo, changed primary team colors, all to represent the "lightning capital of the U.S.", that is Tampa, FL.

The San Jose Sharks feature an aquamarine type color scheme with the 'hip' predatory fish chomping on the hockey stick to project, tough, mean, fluid, and fast.

And the classic red n white of the Detroit Red Wings, and it's winged wheel, are synonymous with speed, technique, and just hockey in general.

 

And those are just a few examples....many others throughout the league that showcase some nice statements about each team in the construction of a given sweater.

 

Now, the idea is being floated around to have companies like Goodyear Tires, Subway, McDonalds, Bed Bath and Beyond..etc, etc, etc.... all sully these beautiful sweaters with logos featured prominently??

I get the whole extra revenue...I mean, who WOULDN'T want to make more money...but this? I just don't like it.

 

The articles seem to suggest this may be an inevitability.

Soccer, NASCAR, and Euro hockey do it already.....and by the way, I happen to think that in general, European league hockey jerseys are VERY unappealing......thanks in no small part the plastered corporate sponsorships on them.

And I also have never quite found the uni's NASCAR drivers wear to be particularly 'nice', 'hot', or anything else that might make them sound appealing. For me, they just are not.

 

If the NHL does eventually go that route, I for one, just hope it won't be for a long, long time. Please, NHL, find other ways to make money from corporate sponsors.

Hockey arenas are already riddled with ads, which many fans have taken issue with in the past, thought those don't bother me personally all that  much.

Also, as the articles mentioned, player equipment has logos on them and even the current jerseys have things like "Reebok" on them (though not in-your-face as is being proposed in the articles)...but see, I am ok with the smaller logos on the equipment and sweaters now because they are primarily from the MAKERS of that equipment.

 

That is quite different than say, having Trojan brand condoms advertised on the front of a Los Angeles Kings or Anaheim Ducks jersey!

If the NHL decides to succumb to the money and say "yes", where will it end.

Sure, it may start out as a simple logo....but what's next?

 

Slogans? Website addresses plastered on there as well? Ughh....

I know things change, I know money makes EVERYTHING go round, and I know the NHL seeks ways every day to increase its revenue and try to move to the forefront occupied by the likes of MLB and the NFL in North America......but good GAWD, can we PLEASE just have one little thing left that just speaks purely of hockey?

Leave the damned hockey jerseys alone!

 

[hf101]

Amen.  

 

"Soccer, NASCAR, and Euro hockey do it already"  

I believe it comes down to tradition, The big 4, NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA don't need to look greedy, most Americans believe the players, owners etc all make too much money as it is. While  other leagues may depend on advertising for profit the Big 4 do not.  I think if these leagues want to display more advertising why not have blinking logos on the TV screen during the games as well? 

 

Instead the NHL and others are selling the most important advertisement and that is their own league and it's players via uniforms and other team merchandise. It is something to be proud of!

[jammer2]

  Some things are sacred, please let them stay that way. Um, yeah....I really wanna see the BlackHawks crest surrounded by Starbucks logos....NOT!!

[AJgoal]

Yeah, no. The Mighty Dogs (our local team in Germany) had ads on their sweaters, it's why I never actually got one. There's already tons of ads on the rink, and the computer generated ones on the glass behind the net for tv viewers. Let's not make it any worse.

[flyercanuck]

Its bad enough trying to keep up with the name of your teams rink or stadium. I hope it never goes the way of other leagues or sports and does that total sellout.

[Yorick]

European billboard uniforms (ad patches on helmets and pants, not just sweaters) are f**king disgusting. 

 

I do understand that's a significant source of income for their meager leagues, but God damn keep that s**t out of the NHL!!!

[hf101]

 

According to a report from TSN, the presidents of NHL teams met in New York in September and decided against jersey sponsorship this season, which would have brought in $120 million.

A little more than a month later, it appears as though the league might be changing its tune. NHL chief operating officer John Collins was at the NeuLion Sports Media & Technology Conference (NeuLion is the technology behind NHL's GameCenter Live) and was quoted by player agent Allan Walsh as saying that jersey sponsorship is "coming and happening."

None of the four major sports leagues in North America have jersey sponsorship on game jerseys. Major League Soccer does, though. The Philadelphia Union play 90 minutes with "BIMBO" written across their chest and the Philadelphia Business Journal reported it brings the team $11 million across five years.

The Flyers already have advertisements, as many teams do, on their practice jerseys. For the past few seasons, the Flyers practiced with Toyota patches on their practice threads. That changed Oct. 28 when the team announced a five-year partnership with the Rothman Institute as the team's exclusive orthopaedic and hospital partner.

 

http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/flyer-files/2014/11/06/advertisements-nhl-jerseys-flyers/18603981/

 

[DaGreatGazoo]

I don't like it, but at the same time, hockey doesn't have the mega-billion dollar TV deal like the NBA or NFL has.  Teams also don't get huge TV rights deals, like the LA Dodgers for example, in MLB.  They are going to do whatever it takes to make the owners revenue.  Tradition be damned....unfortunately.

 

 

NHL--2 Billion deal

NFL--27 Billion deal

NBA--24 Billion deal

 

Dodgers--7 Billion TV deal, though it has to be shared

[mojo1917]

  Some things are sacred, please let them stay that way. Um, yeah....I really wanna see the BlackHawks crest surrounded by Starbucks logos....NOT!!

I think the green mermaid would look outstanding on the 'hawks sweater... try a different example,  aesthetically starbucks is a total winner with the hawk's color scheme.  

 

had you said dunkin' donuts... now we're talking outrage.    

[mojo1917]

 

http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/flyer-files/2014/11/06/advertisements-nhl-jerseys-flyers/18603981/

 

 

that is hilarious i love the cormorants/geese on the orange ring... total winner ! 

[radoran]

The owners have to find some way to recoup the money they're spending buying guys out in an effort to be fiscally responsible.

 

Or something.

 

[Irishjim]

Tsn has reported that reports are true, their quite possibly will be advertisements on sweaters however it is expected to be a few seasons down the road.

[FD19372]

Sorry, but I will stop wearing Flyers jerseys the day I have to wear a Viagra patch on the front of it, and a Preparation H patch on the back. I don't need to show the world that I would be Preparation H "cool" and have them as a sponsor.     Save it for NASCAR and pro soccer. I would approve of Crosby jerseys, but not necessarily wear them, with a Massengill (sp) patch on the front.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Sad, sad day if the NHL really does decide to go the 'ad on sweaters' route.

 

I get the whole extra revenue thing, but still, one of the things that makes hockey so awesome, the various representations of teams via their 'coat of arms' will be watered down with reminders that we live in a corporate driven world.

 

As odd as it may sound, when I first tune in to a hockey game, aside from being eager to see who is taking to the ice, one of the first things I look for is what jerseys teams are wearing that game.

Traditional home darks and road whites? Or will we be seeing that third jersey that game?

 

How do the opposing teams jerseys compare and contrast during that game?

For instance, watching a bit of the Islander road trip through California as they played the Ducks and Kings, it was cool to see traditional long standing NY Islander white, blue, and orange contrast with more modern black n orange of Anaheim, and the black n white of the LA Kings.

 

These are small things, and like I said, to some, might seem odd, but to me they are part of enjoying any given hockey game.

Much of that enjoyment will be diminished if I have to watch teams skate around with ads tacked on to their traditional and representative team logos and colors.

[flyercanuck]

Boooooooo! Hissss! Harrumph!

[mojo1917]

As odd as it may sound, when I first tune in to a hockey game, aside from being eager to see who is taking to the ice, one of the first things I look for is what jerseys teams are wearing that game.
Traditional home darks and road whites? Or will we be seeing that third jersey that game?

 

I prefered the days when the home team wore the white sweaters,  that way you got to see the colors of the rest of the leagues teams...I am still having a hard time with the home "darks"... I prefer the home whites and hope the NHL takes a note from the A with regard to color scheme.

[flyercanuck]

Always liked white sweaters at home.

[Samifan]

Sorry, but I will stop wearing Flyers jerseys the day I have to wear a Viagra patch on the front of it, and a Preparation H patch on the back. I don't need to show the world that I would be Preparation H "cool" and have them as a sponsor.     Save it for NASCAR and pro soccer. I would approve of Crosby jerseys, but not necessarily wear them, with a Massengill (sp) patch on the front.

Ok all you photoshoppers out there, let's see some good memes of potential jersey sponsors...

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

I prefered the days when the home team wore the white sweaters,  that way you got to see the colors of the rest of the leagues teams...I am still having a hard time with the home "darks"... I prefer the home whites and hope the NHL takes a note from the A with regard to color scheme.

 

I agree.

I started watching the league (mid 90's) when home whites and road darks were the norm....and third jerseys were few and far between.

 

Funny thing is, when the NHL was doing home whites/road darks, the top minor league system at the time, which I believe was the IHL, was doing 'home darks / road whites' and the NHL then adopted that scheme. The year they did so escapes me right now, though I am sure someone could look that up.

Also, I remember people applauding the NHL for doing that at the time too.

Would be ironic if the NHL adopted the AHL home/away scheme and go BACK to what they had before after adopting the previous IHL scheme.

 

Not gonna say it was a 'bad idea' per se, the switch, but like you, to this day, still have a hard time fully accepting the current home/away schemes NHL teams use now.

I dunno. Maybe because home WHITES means 'the good guys' (for the home arena anyways) and DARKS means 'the bad guys' coming to town....kinda like the old Western 'white hats and black hats'........

 

Either way, home whites would be nice once again......but back on point to this thread, too bad those pristine home whites may be littered with corporate junk in the near future.

 

Only hockey jersey I own is a 2010-11 "road white" Tampa Bay Lightning VLC jersey...complete with captain's 'C'.

It is very oversized (the person who got it for me did not really know my sizing...lol), and I hardly ever wear it, because I mostly look like a 12 year old in it...haha.

I would like to have it tailored, but am DEATHLY afraid of taking it anywhere where it could get ruined and thus, it sits hanging on a hook in our bedroom, or I wear it on rare occasions.

But it is a BEAUTIFUL jersey....with the older style logos and color schemes that the Bolts eschewed in favor of the, Ughhh, Maple Leaf blue n white.

Black, blue with a pinch of silver perfectly balanced with the endless white stretching to infinity as the jersey runs to the bottom of the body....just awesome.

 

I would NOT, however, hold the jersey in such high regard, if it had corporate crap on it. I just wouldn't.

And if the NHL and it's teams will be moving towards that in the near future, I really can't see myself spending the kind of money teams ask for to WEAR corporate sponsored jerseys either.

I wonder how many diehard fans who own several jerseys would react, and whether spending on team sweaters by fans would go down if things like McDonalds, Kumho, Trojan, or Tide adorned them...

[mojo1917]

I am a fan of the Chelsea football club...so i pay attention to the premier league, i do find it odd that the corporate sponsor is so front and center on the kits and the club logo is a little patch... i could probably abide the reverse, a patch on the shoulder or something wouldn't be the worst thing.  That KHL sweater in the OP is not very  nice to look at.

[radoran]

. i could probably abide the reverse, a patch on the shoulder or something wouldn't be the worst thing.

 

I was watching some Global Football the other day and it was distracting to see the little "EA Sports" patch on the referee's sleeve, primarily because I couldn't get my controller to work.

 

[Yorick]

Always liked white sweaters at home.

 

Agreed. Bring that back!

 

And the Flyers' slacks! 

[hf101]

Quote

 

Two years ago, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told a meeting of franchise presidents that their teams could generate upwards of $4 million each by placing advertising on jerseys. Later that year, then-COO John Collins told a sports media technology conference that ads on jerseys were “coming and happening.”

 

So what's been the holdup?

Waiting for someone else to do it first.

 

“We certainly won’t be the first. And you’d have to drag me kicking and screaming,” said Bettman, when the NHL announced its deal with Adidas.

On Thursday night, the NBA did it.

 

"Jersey sponsorships provide deeper engagement with partners looking to build a unique association with our teams and the additional investment will help grow the game in exciting new ways," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. "We're always thinking about innovative ways the NBA can remain competitive in a global marketplace, and we are excited to see the results of this three-year trial."

 

NHL, you’re on the clock.

 

Of course, the NHL has already tried to sell ads on jerseys, for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. (Which, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly, the NBA paved the way for as well after putting Kia logos onto its 2016 All-Star Game gear.) As of February, they had yet to find companies willing to meet their $8 million asking price.

 

One imagines it’ll be easier to sell ads for an NHL regular season and the playoffs, which are far more established than the newly reinvented World Cup.

So now that the NBA has committed to ads, it’s just a matter of time. Where will the NHL put them? What will they look like?

 

If the NHL is using basketball for guidance, the NBA is placing theirs “on the front left of the game jerseys opposite the Nike logo. Patches will measure approximately 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches and be adjusted to fit the dimensions of each sponsor's logo.”

 

Also, one interesting nugget: “The sponsor patch will not appear on the retail versions of the player jerseys but teams will have the option to sell the jerseys with sponsor patches in their own retail outlets.”

 

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/nhl-ads-on-jerseys-coming-soon--now-that-nba-approves-them-162317173.html

 

[Puck_Pun]

While the general consensus here is opposition, would relatively unobtrusive commercials like in Australian football be an acceptable least bad option?

 

[WordsOfWisdom]

On 18/09/2014 at 11:25 AM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

Seems Gnome Bettman and his administration have turned down the notion of having corporations "buy" space on player sweaters.......for the time being.

 

 

The following illustration shows NHL fans (played by the frog) and the NHL (represented by the pot of boiling water).

 

 

On 18/09/2014 at 11:25 AM, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

If the NHL decides to succumb to the money and say "yes", where will it end.

Sure, it may start out as a simple logo....but what's next?

 

It will end when every square millimetre of the players, the arena, and everything in it is an advertisement. Eventually fans will have to wear advertisements to be admitted into the building.

 

It's a slow, predictable climb to total advertising saturation. It's like a dollar bill being dangled on a fishing hook in front of a bunch of greedy executives. The outcome is inevitable. 

 

I used the boiling frog analogy because each new generation of fans discovers the NHL for the first time as a pot with warmer and warmer water. Each new generation of fans accepts the game the way it is when they're born, and the NHL can therefore ramp up advertising from that point forward without offending this new generation. They have infinite leeway.