The NFL probably wishes that, from the moment the founders of the league gathered at a Hupmobile Dealership, they had made the standard football uniform look like NASCAR overalls.
In the world of car racing, fans never complain about the saturation of ads on the cars (and drivers), because it’s always been that way. For the NFL, it’s never been that way.
One of these days, it will be.
The topic was already on our radar screen, given that more and more college football programs will be turning their uniforms into partial billboards. This question for Thursday’s #PFTPM put it on the tee: “Are jersey patches or field sponsors a realistic outcome of the next NFL CBA? It feels like it’d be an easy bargaining chip for the players.”
It’s an interesting way to frame the issue. The players currently share the revenue with the league. It’s for the league to maximize it. Why not fully maximize it by selling space that the NFL currently uses (as evidenced by the Super Bowl XL jerseys) for all sorts of clutter that generates not a single penny?
How much could the league make by putting a corporate message other than the logo of the apparel provider (and the NFL shield) on the jersey? Presumably, a lot.
Fans wouldn’t like it. They’d huff and puff (and I’d be right there, huffing and puffing), but they won’t be blowing anyone’s house down. In the standard camera view for NFL game broadcasts, no one will be able to see the patches. They’ll only be visible in the shots after a play — the same way the headset sponsor’s name is seen on the periodic camera images of the coach.
Yes, it would be easier if they’d sold jersey space all along. At some point, the potential earnings for putting a corporate logo on an official game jersey (practice jersey patches have been permitted for years) will overcome the concerns over fan consternation.
Especially once the NFL sees that the coming wave of college football ad space on jerseys won’t cause a single person to stop attending or watching college football games.
