By TORI ADDISON
Staff Writer
It has only been about two months since Adam Silver assumed the role of NBA Commissioner and I am already questioning his efficiency. Although it is way too early to judge his performance as chief NBA executive, his ideas for change amongst the league seem to be less popular than they are hated, which is never a good sign.
Silver’s recently introduced the NBA’s plan to place advertisement patches on jerseys, which has stirred up some controversy among many fans. Ad-infested uniforms are nothing new in some sports, such as soccer and NASCAR, but the NBA is a completely different story. To plaster jerseys with ads on the basis of connecting sponsors to both the fans and the players is a bit unnecessary.
In other words, Silver is looking toward generating around 100 million dollars a year by slapping big name company logos across player’s uniforms and hoping the fans do not complain.
While increased revenue flow into the league will undoubtedly be a good thing, the integrity of the NBA jersey is at stake here. I would rather have to sit through five minutes of commercials than see five different logos plastered across player’s jerseys. I guess the sad part is that if ads do make their way to the jerseys, then fans watching the games at home will still have to deal with endless commercials during media timeouts. Each team’s uniform is unique and by using them as moving advertisement space, that uniqueness will start to diminish.
As a fan, I would not pay money to buy a jersey with a huge ad across it. If I am buying a jersey it is to show support for my team, not the company endorsing them. To think that big time company names such as “Yahoo!” could replace the team’s name etched across the front of each player’s jersey is quite unsettling. As soon as the team’s name is removed from the jersey, the team’s identity is gone.
You would think after the failure of Silver’s not-so-brilliant sleeved jersey idea, he would get the hint to stop messing with the uniforms. The league stated that sleeved jerseys have increased sales and shown that fans support the change in style, but players on the other hand do not. When players such as LeBron James are complaining about the jerseys, you should realize that there is a problem that needs to be fixed. Profits should not matter when players are uncomfortable playing in their own uniforms. Silver is fixated on revenue and will unfortunately do whatever it takes to ensure the league is profiting.
This year’s All-Star Weekend events showed just how advertisement based the league is becoming between the Sears Shooting Stars to the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. Last time I checked, Sears and Taco Bell have absolutely nothing to do with professional basketball, so the league should keep it that way. Irrelevant advertisements are what commercials are for and no player should have to walk around endorsing fast food when they are trying to serve as role models for younger generations.
If anything, Silver’s idea is just going to create havoc amongst the sports world. Once other leagues such as the NFL and MLB see how much money the NBA is generating, they will be very likely to follow suit. Fans are not going to happy when their favorite players are turned into walking billboards and their once beloved jerseys are vandalized with commercial endorsements.
Players who take pride in representing the team whose name is stitched across the front of their jersey are going to lose that sense when the team’s name is replaced with an advertisement. Silver’s idea may seem great for bringing in hefty amounts of cash for the league, but in this case the mixing of the business and sports worlds is one that will not leave a suitable aftertaste for fans.
