Pistons Could be First Team to Have Advertisements on Jerseys

Pending formal league approval, the NBA will soon allow small patches on the upper left part of jerseys to help provide team’s with another source of revenue. And, according to Detroit Pistons president Dennis Mannion, the Pistons are planning on implementing jersey ads in the not-so-distant future. Via the Detroit Free Press: “Palace Sports & Entertainment president Dennis Mannion said Detroit Pistons jerseys ‘most probably’ will have small sponsorship patches in the future. Mannion said Tuesday there have been discussions about offering the space as part of a package with a high-end sponsor. ‘The ilk of sponsor that you could attract is typically very big consumer marketers, and they help you with your brand,’ Mannion said. ‘So I think we are doing an OK job here in the Detroit metro area with the Pistons brand, (but) there are sponsors out there that can take you to a whole new level and other markets, and that’s exciting.’ The NBA’s partner, the WNBA, already has gone down this path. And according to forbes.com, the top soccer league in the world—the English Premier League—has generated $178 million from similar sponsorships. The NBA estimates the move could generate $100 million for the league.”