All 30 NBA teams have now reached agreements to feature a sponsored advertisement patch on their uniforms, with the Thunder announcing today in a press release that they’ll wear jersey ads for Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. Oklahoma City had been the only club without a jersey sponsorship deal in place.
[RELATED: Full list of NBA jersey sponsors]
According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, the deal between the Thunder and Love’s – an Oklahoma-based retail chain – is for four years and will rank among the top 10 jersey sponsorship deals in terms of annual average value. The club will wear the patch for the first time this Saturday night at home vs. Golden State.
A report last month indicated that the uniform advertisements have been a major success for the NBA, generating more than $150MM in new annual revenue. The lower-end sponsorship deals are reportedly worth approximately $5MM per year, while the most lucrative one – the Warriors‘ deal with Rakuten – is said to be worth $20MM annually.
As Lowe writes, many of the jersey sponsorship agreements around the NBA were three-year deals that were finalized in 2017, meaning they’re due to expire in 2020. League observers are curious to see if the market for those patches will have improved when they’re up for renegotiation, according to Lowe.
How many teams signed in the last month? The numbers don’t work. 150M divided by 30 teams is 5M each. It says the low end is 5M and the Top is 30M…
To be fair, the supposed new annual revenue is “more than $150MM,” which leaves plenty of wiggle room. But maybe some of the team-specific figures so far have been prorated (or not included in the total at all) because they reached agreements during the season? I also think most of the deals are much closer to $5MM per year than the Warriors’ $20MM, which looks like an outlier. Still, I imagine next season the number will far exceed $150MM.
$20 Million is definitely an outlier. I believe the Nets get 7MM a year and that was considered lucrative at the time.
I hate the sponsors on jerseys
It’s here to stay…and….the other sports will see this and follow suit.
I fully expect all major sports leagues to have sponsors that take up the entire Jersey like soccer teams have. Money talks as always.
Cue gif of Ricky Bobby trying to see through sponsor logos on his windshield.
The patch does not have to be so loud.
And, is Nike keeping pace with their swooshie patch?