(Site note: Look to the bottom of this post to find links to the other opinions and intro to this debate).
I’m well aware of the times in which we live. Money is tight! Every penny counts. Plus, in many ways, we live in an ad-driven world. But, sometimes our culture takes things too far. The idea of selling ad space on NFL practice jerseys is totally ridiculous!
Do we really need this? Do we really need to see ads on the practice jerseys of our favorite players?
There are a couple of points I’ll make about why this is unnecessary.
First off, is this really beneficial to the company that buys a patch on a jersey? Who is really going to see this? This isn’t NASCAR. No. One difference between NASCAR and the NFL is that the advertisers in NASCAR get a lot of recognition, both by the commentators and by the drivers themselves. You always hear the drivers thank their sponsors when being interviewed after a race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will often thank the National Guard and AMP Energy for sponsoring him. In football, how much recognition are these companies really going to get by a placing a small little “patch” on the jerseys? Is New England Patriots QB Tom Brady really going to thank someone like Pepsi (for example) when being interviewed after PRACTICE? Is this a worthy investment for the company? My answer is an emphatic NO!
Second, wouldn’t these sponsored patches pose a conflict of interest for the players? All of the details of this idea haven’t been released yet by the NFL or the teams yet, but let’s use Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning as an example. Manning is arguably the face of the National Football League. He has an endorsement deal with Mastercard and Sprint, among others. What happens if American Express and Verizon Wireless decide to buy patches on jerseys for the Colts? That would be awkward for everyone. You see what I’m getting at here?
Some of these kinks probably need to be worked out, but on the surface, this seems like a horrendous idea!
(Site note: Debate links: Intro, Loyal Homer, Bleacher Fan, Sports Geek).
