Lack of shirt sponsorship in US sports.

[Bored Of Education]

How come no US sports leagues - NBA, NHL, NFL, MLB - don't have any sports sponsorship aside from the MSL? Is it another one of those things like the drafts where sports in the US are the only things that are slightly socialist. Is it a money thing? The EPL makes more money than the NBA and NHL.

[ursus arctos]

For the same reason it didn't exist in European football for a century. Tradition (and the fact that North American franchises are money spinners, and therefore aren't compelled to explore what is a speculative market over here)

That said, the NBA has jersey sponsorship (one small ad on the upper chest)

NHL, NBA and NFL teams have sponsored training gear.

MLB teams have had sponsored helmets when playing abroad.

The uniforms of all North American teams have prominent manufacturers' marks.

[ursus arctos]

A Goodyear advert on LeBron's Cavaliers jersey

[Bored Of Education]

Oh, I did not see that. Is it only the replica jerseys that don't have the logo?

The training gear makes sense, it's like national football teams training gear.

Manufacturers logos are slightly different, of course, but, even then, I was quite surprised at how late in the day that football shirts didn't have manufacturers logos.

[ursus arctos]

It only started in the NBA last season.

Though it is worth noting that WNBA teams (many of which are co-owned with NBA teams) have had full-fledged jersey sponsors for five plus seasons.

[Bored Of Education]

Bluergh.

[Janik]

Those logos are small and restrained compared to the one on the US Women's Field Hockey team kit for the current World Cup. Image is from their first match against Ireland:-

[ursus arctos]

Yikes

[Hot Pepsi]

So far, most American sports leagues have been smart enough to realize that the brand they want to promote on the uniform is their own, not unrelated advertisers’. Besides, there’s plenty of advertising around the venues and on TV.

Fans, rightfully, hate it and it would impair merch sales. Although prominent logos of the company that made the clothes - Nike, Adidas, etc, is actually considered desirable to a point. I guess it makes it look more legit somehow.

MLS and USL teams do it because so many fans assume whatever is European is the better way and because we think - perhaps with some justification - that the clubs really need the money. That’s certainly true with the WNBA and, apparently, USA field hockey.

[Wouter D]

so many fans assume whatever is European is the better way

I wish they extended that sort of thinking to politics too.

[Janik]

I'm guessing merchandising sales of US Women's Hockey shirts are negligible anyway, so they have nothing to lose. And as with other more worldwide sports, sponsorship on International Hockey shirts is the norm rather an exception, even for a competition like the World Cup. Pretty well every one of the 16 teams competing in London has them. England, for example, go for smaller logos but lots of them so that there is no angle to be looking at a player from and not know who funds her. 5 repeats by my count (in addition to the prominent 3 placed erm... there are two down the sides that run in front of the Adidas stripes which are a bit harder to spot in the photo below). Almost makes the US effort look restrained. Almost.



I suppose it might say 'Citi' on the US players' arses as well. Possibly. I don't actually know because I wasn't paying any specific attention to those[/feeling righteous]

[Janik]

MLS and USL teams do it because so many fans assume whatever is European is the better way

I wish they extended that sort of thinking to politics too.

To be fair, many of the US soccer fans do! In fact soccer fandom in a good chunk of cases appears to follow politics, rather than the other way around.

[Ray de Galles]

So far, most American sports leagues have been smart enough to realize that the brand they want to promote on the uniform is their own, not unrelated advertisers’. Besides, there’s plenty of advertising around the venues and on TV.

Fans, rightfully, hate it and it would impair merch sales.

That might happen if shirt sponsorship was introduced in the US now but the experience of European football has shown it not to be the case. In fact, the replica shirt boom pretty much coincided with the introduction of shirt sponsorship (though I’m not introducing a logical fallacy that it caused it).

Obviously the big difference is, as you allude to, that US sport teams generally sport their team or city’s name across their chest though the Superdry phenomenon (is that a thing in the States) shows there is a quite remarkable alacrity to have any old logo plastered all over one’s clothing by many people.

[Janik]

That might happen if shirt sponsorship was introduced in the US now but the experience of European football has shown it not to be the case. In fact, the replica shirt boom pretty much coincided with the introduction of shirt sponsorship (though I’m not introducing a logical fallacy that it caused it).

Obviously the big difference is, as you allude to, that US sport teams generally sport their team or city’s name across their chest though the Superdry phenomenon (is that a thing in the States) shows there is a quite remarkable alacrity to have any old logo plastered all over one’s clothing by many people.

A possible co-effect going on? Sponsorship grew in parallel with a greater desire to brand and merchandise. Also it clearly benefits the shirt sponsors to sell more, and changing sponsors works for the clubs as a a way of driving sales as it is blatant if you are wearing 'last years' shirt even if the underlying styling hasn't changed.

[Kevin S]

That might happen if shirt sponsorship was introduced in the US now but the experience of European football has shown it not to be the case. In fact, the replica shirt boom pretty much coincided with the introduction of shirt sponsorship (though I’m not introducing a logical fallacy that it caused it).

Obviously the big difference is, as you allude to, that US sport teams generally sport their team or city’s name across their chest though the Superdry phenomenon (is that a thing in the States) shows there is a quite remarkable alacrity to have any old logo plastered all over one’s clothing by many people.

In NFL there's a massive number on the front, as the officials need to be able to see them from all angles because of this rule:

Those who wear numbers between 50 and 79 are, by rule, playing in specific positions ['the line'] which are prohibited from catching or touching forward passes if their team is in possession of the ball, unless explicitly indicated to the referee during a tackle-eligible play.

[Flynnie]

Interestingly, NBA teams don't sell replica jerseys with the sponsor on them. Yet.

I think it's as simple as football and rugby getting lucky that there was a ton of real estate available for sponsorship. Having a small badge on the chest (if you had a badge at all, which not everybody did before the 80s) left the best place to put an advert free.

The Warriors have the biggest jersey sponsorship deal in the NBA, and it's nowhere near any of the big English clubs. I'm sure that's related to the fact it has to sit above a wordmark on a very small piece of jersey.

Reed's also spot on that fans would despise it, so I wonder if other leagues have decided it isn't worth the money as the financial gain would be cancelled out by lower merchandise sales/deals.

[Bored Of Education]

That might happen if shirt sponsorship was introduced in the US now but the experience of European football has shown it not to be the case.

There have been a few cases where punters have had choices between sponsorless and sponsored shirts and I wonder which were more popular. However, did we ever clear up whether it was Cardiff City fans who went back to have the sponsors logos ironed on after the club started the season without a sponsor or was that another club?

[Bored Of Education]

Interestingly, NBA teams don't sell replica jerseys with the sponsor on them. Yet.

Ah, that's why I got confused.

I think it's as simple as football and rugby getting lucky that there was a ton of real estate available for sponsorship. Having a small badge on the chest (if you had a badge at all, which not everybody did before the 80s) left the best place to put an advert free.

Also, of course, NBA jerseys, in themselves have less material to place sponsors' logos on.

Reed's also spot on that fans would despise it, so I wonder if other leagues have decided it isn't worth the money as the financial gain would be cancelled out by lower merchandise sales/deals.

An odd instance of US sports fans being more sensible than European.

[Kevin S]

An odd instance of US sports fans being more sensible than European.

Er, what's that supposed to mean?

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Scarlets RU manage to fit 18 logos onto their 18-19 kit.

[Bored Of Education]

It's the ends of days, I tells ya!

[ursus arctos]

As an example of North American fans' attitudes to sponsor marks, official MLB caps have featured an embroidered New Era logo on the side for 2 or 3 seasons.

There is an entire genre of YouTube videos on how best to remove them with minimal damage.

[Incandenza]

I've been very intrigued to try that.

[ursus arctos]

If you have a seam ripper it isn't hard.

[Hot Pepsi]

Er, what's that supposed to mean?

It means that you all tolerate ugly ads far more than we do and far more than you ought to.

Of course, other than motorsports, European hockey is the worst. There are so many ads on the uniforms that they all kind of cancel each other out and it's usually just a big blur of ugly that doesn't do a good job of promoting anything. Replica sweaters and the big prominent logo are popular, in some cases even iconic, in North America. I don't know why any European fan would want to wear something like this.


IIRC, research shows NASCAR fans, at least, are significantly more likely to patronize brands that sponsor their favorite driver, but I don't know if that's true of F1 or other kinds of motorsports. I suspect the overload of advertising in motorsports deters a lot of potential fans, however.