You laugh now, but I think someday there is a real probability you will see a professional team sell out to a company in full. As soon as one prominent team takes the leap by placing Dell on the front of their jersey it will only be a matter of time before others follow suit. The need for other revenue streams during the current economy woes has the NBA and NHL already taking steps to have corporate sponsorships for game uniforms.
Starting this year the NBA will let teams sell ads on their practice jerseys and per league officials they are continuing to explore the idea of placing ads on actual game jerseys. NHL COO John Collins says the league would consider placing advertisements on game jerseys for the right price. At this time the NFL and MLB aren’t looking at jumping on the money train, but things can change. I’m 100% against US professional teams mimicking European Soccer standards, but at the end of the day it’s a business so they are in it for the cabbage. Look for this to happen in the NHL first since they are the lowest performer of the top four American professional sports leagues. So be prepared to purchase your Carolinna Home Depot, Dallas Dick’s Sporting Goods, Chicago IBM and Atlanta Time Warner jerseys’.