#i feel i could’ve done a better job making ford look golden

[misterpseudonym]

you said forever / tell me why can’t you stay?

[thefiller]

Jer$ey Sponsors

By: Philip Rolz Nov 17, 2017

Weird to think that a league as profitable as the NBA had to resort to sponsorship on a lot of team jerseys. At first I was like “where’s the remove ads button?” but just like every other trend in the league (small ball, the three point shooting frenzy, flopping, etc.) it started out as an odd thing but it kind of grows on you until you just subconsciously accept it. Some sponsorships seem like a natural fit and others you just don’t get.

Let’s start with Atlanta’s sponsor Sharecare. Never really heard of Sharecare but I’ve already mentioned them twice so I guess the money they spent (between $2.5 million and $10 million annually) must be making people curious about who they are. Now that I’ve done a little research about ‘em and learned that they’re a health and wellness engagement platform that provides consumers with personalized information, programs and resources to improve their health... I completely lost all interest. Having been in advertising for almost 10 years, my main issue with this particular sponsorship is the look of the logo and how it blends with the Hawks’ uniform.

Boston’s sponsorship is a solid marriage of iconic brands worth more than $7 million annually. General Electric is a worldwide recognized brand and well, so are the Celtics. In 1892 Thomas Edison founded a company that would revolutionize the world. In 1946 the Celtics were among the original 8 teams in the NBA and in 1950 Red Auerbach and Bob Cousy also played a very important role in revolutionizing the game of basketball. It seems like a very long time and both Edison and Auerbach-Cousy have this mythic legendary vibe of greatness from a long time ago. From an image perspective they really click as well. They both have very old logos that don’t need a makeover anytime soon. Oh, and “imagination at work” seems like a slogan made for Kyrie’s unbelievable handles and improvisation when attacking the rim. 

Brooklyn struck an $8 million deal with Infor, a multi-national privately held United States-based enterprise software company, headquartered in New York City. I’m not a tech guy so I don’t really understand what the hell they do, so it sorta makes sense to partner with a team I’ve been baffled by throughout the better part of the last 5 years.  Aside from being a terribly run franchise and having a mediocre roster, the Nets whole image is really cool. Barclays Center is an amazing display of architecture and their home court design is one of the league’s best, so having a hip techy company’s image on your jersey works ok.

Cleveland is the best team in the East (yes, even when the Celtics are playing so well and the Cavs are a defensive mess) because LeBron James will take them to the NBA Finals yet again. So sponsoring a team that is bound to have so much attention makes sense (specially for the “low” price of around $10 million). And it actually looks really good. That golden foot with wings over a burgundy jersey just pops and it almost doesn't look like paid advertising. The fit, though, kind of an oxymoron. Cleveland is old and as I mentioned before they look extremely slow both offensively and mainly defensively. But they’re an old group of guys and maybe they’re being cautious and will eventually start playing a little faster, a little better. Might even be a good year for them. Hey-oh!  

Banks. Ugh! Who likes 'em, right? We do need them, though. Wait, just like a Denver basketball team I know. We don’t really like the Nuggets either but they’ve become that team you need in the league to root for, because not even people in Denver like them. Shout out to the young talent on that team... make the Nuggets relevant again young guns. I honestly think the only sponsor that would’ve made the Nuggets more attractive is the same thing that made Colorado cooler... no, not skiing.  The best thing about this sponsorship is every time I watch the Nuggets I immediately want to listen to a Wu-Tan Clan song. It’s the WU.

REMIX: Banks. Ugh! Who likes 'em, right? But the thing is... people DO like the Pistons! Their name is synonymous with the city’s automotive heart and soul, so of course a brand like Ford would’ve been the obvious choice, but it’s not. It’s a boring ol' bank. I get the fact that the bank is Michigan-based and that it’s a huge corporation but it just feels wrong. The essence of both brands and the look and feel seem completely divorced. This partnership will be a tough one to get used to.

How much is it worth to have your logo plastered on the jersey of best team in the NBA? $20 million annually, baby! The fit is not bad considering Rakuten is (from what I briefly reserached) an Asian Amazon that sells all kinds of things and offers a bunch of services to go along with it; it’s safe to say its a very complete and robust company. Not hard to make the obvious comparison with a team that has completely changed the way the game of basketball is played. It’s almost annoying how good the Warriors and my experience (with Amazon anyway) is anytime I browse their site I find it annoying that I spend a lot of money on stuff I don’t need but inexplicably fell in love with. The Warriors also have a really good thing going with their overall image, logo, uniform design, etc., which led me to fall out of love just a little with the Rakuten logo, that’s not the coolest thing you’ll see out there. When I think Bay Area I think Silicon Valley and all the cool startups that could’ve been the Warriors’ sponsor. Not everybody shells out $20 million I guess.

I feel like this article just got a little more bad-ass with the addition of this cool friggin’ logo. I’m 35 years old, and even though I’m not a huge fan of bikes, I feel that middle age urge to get one (I’d probably fall down within the week of getting a chopper) but I guess my point is: the first thing I think about when I see a Harley-Davidson motorcycle is an old dude with a beard and leather jacket. I don’t think life altering youth from Milwaukee, via Greece, with a 7 foot 3 inch wingspan. 

However, this sponsorship is arguably the coolest one so far in the league and from an image perspective it totally fits since this is a Bucks team that recently revamped their whole image a short while ago and now have one of the coolest home court designs, uniforms, logo, etc. If I’m gonna have to pay $100 for an NBA jersey with a sponsor brand this would probably be it.

Fitbit seems to work perfectly with almost any team since every single player in the NBA works their ass off (with your rare exceptions of course... cough, cough: Jared Dudley) to get in incredible shape and this particular brand has really become an ambassador for fitness. The Wolves are young, strong, fast and have recently started to really click with all their new pieces. Visually it makes sense, again, with almost any team. Their logo is very simple, very clean and the Minnesota uniform design team did a great job of integrating those horizontal lines at the top of the jersey, creating a stunning “canvas���, if you will, to place the sponsor logo.

This seems to be the best and most obvious fit for a team and sponsor. Looking at that logo, don’t you just feel ...happy? It’s synonymous with overflowing joy, having a fun wholesome time with the whole family and/or friends and well, believing in Magic of course.  I may be one the very few Magic fans outside Orlando, and every single year I convince myself that this team has the roster to reach the playoffs and maybe surprise a couple of strong teams. But just like Disney, it’s all make believe. So again, great fit. Orlando’s overall image used to be better (Shaq and Penny days AND the T-Mac years), which is a very rare thing to say about any team in the NBA. Their logo is completely flat and boring and their uniforms look like pajamas. Disney’s image has been absolutely enchanting since the earliest years (granted, it’s had some minor upgrades) and has become an iconic brand. Hopefully one day, the same thing will be said about this franchise.

I’m a fan of StubHub. I’m a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers. I like the fit because the Sixers have become the best show in the NBA. Yeah! I said it. The “Process” has finally paid off, even though they haven’t accomplished absolutely anything (for now) thus basketball fans wanting to be part of this really exciting and highly anticipated display of the new breed of stars in basketball. What better way than to get tickets than with Seat Geek StubHub? The Sixers have a pretty solid image with a uniform that was just revamped to resemble the classic era of the franchise. StubHub’s logo has become pretty recognizable and the fact that it’s a very simple and clean logo makes it easy on the eye when you integrate it with the 76ers threads.

You know how I said earlier that this article got way cooler because of Harley-Davidson’s logo? That’s all gone to hell now thanks to Blue Diamond Almonds. Again, I totally understand that Sacramento’s own would be the ones sponsoring the team, but good God does this look bad or what? When the news broke out that some teams would be sporting advertising on jerseys, this type of brand mucking up the team’s swagger was every fan’s worst nightmare. I wonder how much of a hit will Sacramento Kings jersey sales have. Lord have mercy.

What would you think if I told you this would be the patch that your favorite NBA team would be sporting? The first thing I thought was: “THAT is one magic loogie!” (shout out to Kramer, Newman and Keith Hernandez). I really feel for you Raptors fans. And again: Banks. Ugh! Who likes 'em, right? Another boring sponsorship that doesn’t really fit a team that people associate with a vibrant Canadian city, a famous stylish rapper and a roster that wants to dominate the East. From all the Bank sponsors this is probably the worst looking logo of them all. And the patch really looks like it was half-assed stitched on the jersey. One of the worst looks along with the Sacramento Kings, no doubt.

Good job Mormons! Your sponsor is actually one of the good guys. A charity that encourages people to donate $5 to help the fight with cancer and using 100% of every dollar donated to support groundbreaking cancer research. A spot on fit for a team that rewards loyalty and team players. Utah doesn’t strike me as a city of fashion and design but they’ve managed to put together a really solid team image that fits amazingly well with this charitable sponsorship.

Let’s just hope the teams that haven’t struck any deal yet, for whatever reasons, really think about it and don’t just go with whoever gives out the most $$$.