APR 21 BEST & WORST NBA SPONSOR PATCHES

APR 21  BEST & WORST NBA SPONSOR PATCHES

The NBA post-season is underway! Sixteen teams are all aggressively striving for the championship. For those of you who are just tuning in, you might have noticed something different about the NBA this season: For the first time ever, there are advertisements sewn into the players' jerseys. Called 'sponsor patches,' they are small...just 2.5 inches by 2.5 inches...and only visible on TV. Each team selects their own sponsor. Some teams choose wisely...other teams, not so much. Here's a quick rundown of some notable ones.

THE LOCAL ANGLE: Like a team nickname, a sponsor should reflect something unique about the city. For example, Detroit's team is called the PISTONS, a nod to the cars made there. (Cleaver!) Miami is hot, so their team is called the HEAT. (Not as cleaver.) So it follows that an ad on the jersey should also represent culturally their city. We salute the New Orleans Pelicans, who chose Zatarains. What would Cajun cuisine be without their beans and rice? We also like Harley Davidson on the Milwaukee Bucks' jerseys. Likewise, General Electric has been big in Massachusetts for 150 years, so they're a natural for the Boston Celtics. Ditto for Goodyear and Cleveland.

THE CORPORATE Sadly, many NBA franchises decided on boring international corporations for their Sponsor Patches. Rather than endorse cheesesteaks, the Philadelphia 76ers are represented by StubHub, a ticket swapping company. No local angle, but at least it's sports-related. The Orlando Magic have always been linked to the Disney Corporation, so it's no surprise to see Walt's famous signature on their gear. But Toronto's Sun Life Mutual patch and Detroit's Flagstar Bank logos on their basketball jerseys just doesn't feel right.

THE CONFUSING: Some teams decided to use their coveted, but small, space to introduce fans to a company or organization they may not already know about. The Brooklyn Nets have 'infor' next to their own logo. The enterprise software company is not exactly a household name. The Jazz is playing with '5 for the Fight.' This organization is raising money for cancer research, but you need to research to figure this out. We are also not impressed with the reigning champions. The Golden State Warriors didn't choose a sponsor with local ties like Ghiradelli Chocolate or Rice-a-Roni, the San Francisco treat. Nope, it's Rakuten, another online store based in Tokyo.

Surprisingly, NBA commissioner Adam Silver received very little opposition to the 'Sponsor Patches' this season. Thankfully, the other three pro leagues in the US remain opposed to advertisements on their players' bodies. But Silver is quick to note it will raise over $100 million in revenue. While that number sounds impressive, remember Russell Westbrook's contract alone is $205 million. Ironically, this was the best year ever for the NBA revenue-wise, so it seems silly to raise more money in such an obvious and offensive manner. We just want to warn the NBA about the slippery-slope advertising on people's clothing. Just look what happened to NASCAR drivers!