Nashville Predators: Time For Jersey Ads?

Should Nashville Predators be first to add ads?

The Nashville Predators, are you being serious? This “ad on jerseys thing” is a question that was asked back in August when the announcement that Adidas would be the new jersey sponsor of the NHL.  There were reports that the uniforms at the World Cup of Hockey may have ads on them.

Related Story: Will the Predators Have Jersey Ads?

Now things have heated up again after the Philadelphia 76s announced this past week that they have reached a deal with Stub Hub to put a small a logo, that will be 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches and situated on the jersey right over each player’s heart.

They are starting with the 2017-18 season on a three-year pilot program to see how it works out. We already know how it’s going to work out, don’t we?  The owners are going to make a boatload of money and it is going to grow to other teams and sports.

There are certainly many fans of the NHL and the Nashville Predators in particular that would be very unhappy to see ads on the jerseys of their favorite team. I can imagine that there are some companies that would fly easier than others in Nashville.

In September, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said that the NHL hadn’t even considered putting any kind of ads on jerseys yet. We’re not sure we believe that but one way or another we all know that it’s coming.

They didn’t ask any fans when they put those fake ads on the glass during telecasts did they?  How about the “POWERBAAAAALLLL Power Play!”  Did anyone ask you about that?  It’s going to happen.

It’s going to happen in the NHL when one of the owners says, “Hey, how about we put this little logo on the jerseys and make millions of dollars?”  They contact a sponsor and away we go.  Here is how it is going to work in the NBA according to Darren Rovell in this Yahoo Sports article:

"NBA teams will keep half of the money generated by selling sponsorships on jerseys, and that half will be further split in two, with one portion going to the individual team that does the deal and the other going to a revenue-sharing pool. The half that does not go to the teams will be split with the players and will contribute to a rising salary cap."

So let’s see.  The team that signs the sponsorship gets a big chunk.  Then the other owners get some and the players get a nice piece too.  Who is going to be the one to complain about that?

From Puck Daddy on Yahoo:

"Gary Bettman always said that he wouldn’t be down to be the first league to do it, but now that the NBA — his beloved NBA — is going forward with it, you can bet the NHL will be the second. I would not expect, however, that the NHL will be able to pull $5 million a year per team in jersey sponsorships, which is what the Sixers are getting from StubHub.But even if an NHL jersey ad pulls half that on average, it’s a not-inconsiderable chunk of change for the league as a whole. That’s an extra $75 million in revenues across 30 teams. That adds $37.5 million to the players’ share of HRR per year. That raises the cap by $1.25 million annually. And that maybe allows one extra player to stay with good teams rather than being shuttled off elsewhere. It’s not a huge difference, but it’s a difference."

If anyone complains, it’s the fans.  They don’t want to see their team’s jerseys look like Premier League soccer or NASCAR uniforms or even some of the European Hockey teams.

But what if you were able to sign that one big free agent…or keep one your team because the salary cap went up another million and a quarter.

So just maybe, the Nashville Predators should be the first.  We know it’s going to happen.  Why not jump out and be the first?  Would you really be upset with a little “Bridgestone” logo on the left chest?  If it meant that you could afford Steven Stamkos, would it be okay then?

Next: Who Will We Pick at #17?

They are going to be here before you know it.  Should we be the first? What do you think?