The NFL is not interested in following the NBA’s lead in selling advertising on uniforms.
While NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said in July the league was “likely” to approve small advertising patches on uniforms by 2013, the NFL has generally considered himself above such a shameless cash-grab.
“It’s not something that’s actively being considered in the NFL,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “We like the look that we have on the field. We have a very limited number of partners on our field in general, much less on the uniform, and we think that’s right for the NFL.”
The league has allowed teams to sell a little real estate on practice jerseys. The Panthers have been pushing Pepsi on theirs, as part of a larger advertising buy the team negotiated with the soft drink giant.
Silver told Business Week the NBA could generate a “loose projection” of $100 million for 30 teams by selling small patches on the upper chest of jerseys.
The simple reason the NFL doesn’t feel so compelled is they don’t have to. At a time when a team such as the Browns can sell for more than $1 billion dollars and television deals continue to climb, the possibility of another $3 million or so per team (though the NFL rights would almost certainly be worth more) seems like loose change Goodell would rather not have clanging around in his couch, or muddying up a look they wouldn’t even let Nike fiddle excessively with.