MLB Announces Jersey Ads Permission
Major League Baseball has announced that it plans to start printing ads on jerseys starting next season, according to an ESPN story.
The MLB joins a wave of modern marketing started in 2007 by Major League Soccer, followed by the NBA in 2017-18 and the NHL in 2019-20 to run ads on jerseys.
The San Diego Padres became the first team to sign an advertising sponsor with Motorola for the 2023 season.
As part of a larger “non-traditional” way to market the game of baseball, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stands behind his multi-faceted plan to recreate the game’s look.
“I think advertising jersey patches on jerseys is the reality of life in professional sports,” Commissioner Rob Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. “That’s a source of income that’s so important that it’s really impossible for the sport to ignore them in the long run. I think that’s the truth.”
Manfred also changed the All-Star jerseys to the same color, rather than each player wearing their unique jersey among a plethora of colors on the same team.
Since Nike took over jersey production from the MLB in 2020, they’ve added “City Connect” jerseys that offer intricate, detailed jersey designs to reflect the deeper profile of each baseball team. For the Cubs and White Sox, that meant respectfully “Wrigleyville” and “Southside” on the chest of their new jerseys.
As for Chicago Sports and their jersey sponsors, the Chicago Fire has Motorola, the Bulls have Zenni goggles, and the Blackhawks have Belle Tire.
The Cubs and Sox will round out another round of jersey ads for the city.
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