Report: NHL May Include Ads On Jerseys With New Adidas Deal
By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins
Fans in the United States could see a large shift in the sports landscape with the unveiling of a reported deal between the National Hockey League and Adidas.
The NHL will be moving from Reebok to Adidas starting in the 2017-2019 season, and with that could be the introduction of ads on game jerseys, according to TSN.
The NHL would become the first of the big four North American sports leagues (NHL, NFL, NBA and MLB) to feature full-time ads on uniforms used in games.
"Moving to a new jersey supplier may be a natural transition for the NHL to begin introducing on-jersey advertising, several league sources told TSN.
During a meeting of NHL team presidents in New York last year, league officials estimated they might raise $4 million per team – or $120 million annually – by allowing corporate sponsors to put their logos front and centre on jerseys.
"If you're already deciding on a major NHL jersey overhaul, maybe with Adidas striping on the jerseys, then it seems like it would be a good time to introduce the ads, if you plan to do it anyway," a league source told TSN."
The NBA has used ads on practice jerseys in recent years, while WNBA jerseys all feature advertisements. The reported deal between the NHL and Adidas is rumored to be around $70 million, double the value of the expiring contract with Reebok.