NBA commissioner Adam Silver has promised that ads on NBA uniforms are coming. No surprise there. Advertising, like nature abhors a vacuum. In fact, Silver informed Portland Tribune reporter Kerry Eggers that the league has already put advertising on player jerseys. “During the slam dunk competition on Saturday night of All-Star Weekend, all the contestants were wearing a Sprite logo on their jersey,” Silver said. “It was fascinating to me it got almost no attention.”
NBC’s Brett Pollakoff says “fans didn’t seem to care — in fact, it’s possible that they didn’t even notice.” That kind of subtlety should placate fans who are worried about Russell Westbrook flying through the air branded like a NASCAR driver. But it might not be such good news for advertisers. How much do you pay for an ad nobody notices?
