Behind the scenes here at Last Word On Sports, our hockey department gets into some pretty pointed discussions about the latest news in the NHL and around the hockey world. So, we thought we’d pull back the curtain and give you some insight into our thoughts with a regular series called LWOS Hockey Roundtable. Feel free to join in on the conversation in the comments section below or by Tweeting at any of our writers!
The NHL’s Chief Operating Officer, John Collins, said this week that NHL jersey sponsorship is both “coming and happening”. This sent the hockey world into a frenzy, with most people taking a very strong stance, either for or against it. Some people are adamant that it would be the worst thing ever, and would end up with the NHL looking like some European leagues, with logos all over the uniform. However, there’s also the side that believes the revenue stream would outweigh the aesthetic negatives.
This topic produced quite a heated debate among our LWOS hockey department.
LWOS Hockey Roundtable: NHL Jersey Sponsorship
Max Vasilyev: My two cents are this: why even do it? You’ve got plenty of other ways to grow the game. You’re not tapped out of revenue.
Aaron Wrotkowski (@AaronWrotkowski): NHL jersey sponsorship is coming. It has been held off in North American sports for a while, but it’s clear that European sports have been completely fine with it. The NHL has been fine with sponsorship in all forms except the sweaters, which were once proposed by Harold Ballard in the 70s, and rejected.
Tyler Shea (@TylerLWOS): Brings more companies in. More revenue. Some teams are still failing and need the help.
Charlie Clarke (@LWOScharlieocc): It’s certainly inevitable that there will be sponsorship on jerseys, but to what extent? Will the NHL stop at some point, and say “x” many ads is too many?
We Will Adapt
Aaron: Does the league need the money? No. Of course not. Neither did Manchester United in the 70s, and by the 80s they had SHARP larger on the shirts than their own logo. Guess what? Everyone adapted.
Tyler: Ads are already on the boards, the glass, the ice, etc. What’s the big deal about jerseys or helmets?
Aaron: We once rarely had hockey arenas with sponsorship names. We had the Montreal Forum, the Boston Garden, Joe Louis Arena, Maple Leaf Gardens. Now we have the Bell Centre, TD Garden, Air Canada Centre, and when they replace Joe Louis Arena? It’ll likely be called the Little Caesars Centre. And we will be fine with it.
Ben Kerr (@LastWordBKerr): If 1% of people who say they are going to stop watching because of this actually stop watching, I’ll be shocked.
Tainting an Image
Max: Respect the logo and the jersey. How beautiful are hockey sweaters? Best in all of sports?
Charlie: Hockey’s uniforms are unique, and very beautiful. Surely there will be a huge backlash if there’s a huge Molson logo slapped on the Bleu Blanc et Rouge, or the Blackhawks jersey.
Tyler: I can understand that some fans believe their jerseys will be “tainted” but Reebok is already on the jerseys. So how is this such a big deal?
Charlie: Reebok does make the jerseys, though. You can’t expect them not to have their logo on their product. For the record, many European teams sell jerseys both with and without sponsorship.
Ben: Don’t kid yourselves on Reebok. Yes they are the manufacturer, but its a huge price they pay to be the manufacturer of the jerseys.
Aaron: [Hockey teams] are businesses. Out for your money. Out for you to buy their logo on everything you own. They want to make you a consumer. And you will continue to be a consumer. Maybe you’ll buy a logoless sweater now. Guess what? Team will still be selling those. They’ll just convince you to also buy the Toronto BELL Maple Leafs sweater that the pros wear. And kids? They’ll want to wear the one the pros wear.
Is There a Limit?
Max: There has to be a line, for the love of the game?
Charlie: You’d think so. At least at first. They’ll make it a slow transition. Like in the AHL, where teams like the Toronto Marlies have a small crest on their jersey, opposite the captain letters.
Aaron: I don’t see a line. How can you sit there as a 99% consumer and say that at 1% you draw the line? Scotiabank Hockey Night in Canada? Nobody cares. The Bell Centre? Nobody cares. Bell and Rogers own the Maple Leafs? Nobody cares. Rogers owns NHL hockey in Canada? Nobody cares. Computer Generated ads on glass? Hardly anybody cares. None of this matters to anybody.
Tyler: I don’t think it will get as far as Nascar ads, but one to four ads per team on a jersey? That isn’t bad. It doesn’t taint anything. And they could also do home-related ads. Companies that are local to the teams. It would be a huge boost to the local economy.
Ben: But this was always coming. Why do you think they made the no tucked jersey rule last year? Because of this. Can’t have players hiding the ad.
League-Wide or Team-by-team?
Charlie: Maybe the league doesn’t need the money, but there are certainly teams that do. Would it have to be a league-wide thing? I think teams like Florida or Arizona would be the first to do it.
Tyler: Yeah, Florida will be the first to sign up. They really need the help. This is where I think it’s a great idea. It will bring extra help to teams in the red.
Aaron: I actually think Toronto will be first. Rogers/Bell will both want to put their stamp on the team.
Max: I think all teams will do it at the same time. No one is going to turn down instant revenue.
Effect on Game Experience
Max: I get it, but the jersey. Come on. It just ruins the experience of the game. Because ads suck – take Ad Block off your browser and try to go on the internet. The boards you can ignore, they aren’t part of the game.
Charlie: What about ice ads? Every team has them. Would it be better to have an NHL rink like this, Toronto’s AHL arena?
Tyler: Ice ads are pretty cool I think.
Max: I want to see the puck.
Charlie: What about a broadcast? How will that be affected? Will there be way more close-up shots, to get the jersey ads on-screen as much as possible?
Tyler: I think that would happen. This could mean a different camera angle for viewing games.That would be killer for a shootout or penalty shot. You would see the back logo while flying down the ice, if they change the viewing angle. Or on replays.
Implementation
Max: I’m curious about the size of the advertising that will be placed. Logo patches? And what about colour? Do they match the jersey or do they just put a white sticker with the company logo on it ?
Tyler: Yeah I would say it would depend on how big the companies want them I guess. How much they’re willing to pay.
Charlie: Surely it’ll start small. Chest patches. Under the numbers. And some sponsors won’t want their colours altered, that depends on the team and sponsor I suppose. How would a red Rogers logo look on a Leafs jersey? They can’t make it blue; that’s enemy colours.
Tyler: Basically it would be a patch about the size of the Stanley Cup patch or a little bigger. But then teams could also pay a lot to have a rectangle ad on the bottom of the jersey taking up seam to seam on the back or front.
Charlie: Alright, I think this is a good time to wrap it up. Thanks everyone.
Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more editions of LWOS Hockey Roundtable throughout the NHL season and don’t forget to get involved in the conversation via Twitter or the comments section below.
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