Advertisements on Jerseys, Helmets are Coming to MLB This Season
Following a 99-day lockout, baseball has finally returned from its dark winter as a new Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached Thursday. Once games begin, however, uniforms will look a little different moving forward.
As part of the new CBA, Major League Baseball and the Players Association have agreed to introduce two new advertising options, including patches on jerseys and decals on batting helmets.
Previously, the only logo that’s ever appeared on MLB uniforms has been from the company that manufacturers them, which is currently Nike.
With this new agreement, there’s hope it can generate multiple new revenue streams for all 30 teams across the majors. This way, there should be additional financial capital that can be split between the players and owners.
In 2017, the National Basketball Association became the first major North American sports league to introduce jersey advertisements. Then, last season, the National Hockey League opened its doors to this avenue and released advertising decals on helmets, with some organizations retaining them through this season.
Adding to their source of revenue, the NHL announced last August it would introduce jersey ads beginning in 2022-23.
Now, the National Football League is the only league amongst this top-four group without any future jersey advertising plans – at least, that the public is aware of.
For baseball, placing ads on uniforms has become fairly common across the globe, particularly in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Together, these leagues have found much success with this source of advertising, which is starting to become much more popular in North America.
Baseball fans may oppose this new direction, however, jersey ads are only likely to gain further interest in future seasons. In all likelihood, as they gain more exposure, the more revenue they stand to generate.
One thing everyone can agree on: There isn’t a better feeling than having baseball back. As players begin reporting to their respective spring training complexes, there’s a warm sense that winter is nearing an end.
Luckily, Opening Day 2022 is less than a month away, which will see the regular season kick off on Apr. 7th.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85