The Future of Hockey Jerseys

The NHL announced on Wednesday that jerseys for the upcoming World Cup of Hockey will feature ads.

I have always been a huge fan of the aesthetics of hockey and I track jersey and logo changes somewhat fanatically. Just hearing ‘ads on jerseys’ makes me really uncomfortable. I know it’s only the World Cup jerseys, but I can’t help but wonder what will happen to NHL jerseys. That’s just what my natural reaction is. In my head, I picture a patch on some of my favourite jerseys and it just doesn’t feel right.

Gary Bettman was asked whether this would pave the way for ads on NHL jerseys, and he had this to say:

“Nobody should say that that means the next step is to put them on NHL jerseys,” and

“I am a believer in the history, tradition and exactly how special NHL sweaters are. And while these World Cup jerseys have been designed from scratch and are spectacular, it’s not necessarily the same as the NHL sweaters.”

Is this true? Well the part about hockey sweaters being special definitely is. But I don’t really believe that if there was an opportunity to make money from ads, the NHL would not consider it. Earlier this year, the NBA announced that they will be introducing ads in the form of 2.5inx2.5in patches on jerseys for the 2017-2018 season. The 76’ers became the first team to sell ads, agreeing to a $5 million/year deal with Stubhub. If I was an NHL owner, I would want in on this opportunity.

Would I be okay with NHL jerseys with ads knowing that they could look as tasteful as this?

No I still would not.

Would I be okay with NHL jerseys with ads even if the jerseys they sold to fans didn’t have ads on them?

No.

Here’s why. You can sell me a jersey without ads, but if at some point, the jersey was constructed while considering the placement of a corporate ad, that is not okay with me.

Hockey jerseys are only supposed to consider the teams identity, perhaps the city’s or state’s identity, and maybe the owner’s input. No other major sports league puts as much thought into the aesthetics of their individual identity as NHL teams do. Yes all sports teams have their colours and team logos, but no other sport has every single team dedicated towards creating an individual identity. In baseball, for the most part, all away jerseys are white, and all home ones are gray. And both only feature a team or city name (again for the most part). Football jerseys are 95% numbers which doesn’t leave a lot of room for beauty. And basketball jerseys for the most part feature a team name and a player number. Not to mention that 20 out of the 30 NBA teams have shoved a basketball into the logo. Hockey is the only sport that leaves the space primarily for showing off the team’s individual beauty.

It would start with a 2.5inx2.5in patch. Then a company with an elongated logo would require more space. It would be granted a little bigger patch. Then possibly a company would realize that the shoulder isn’t the best place for an ad. That it would be more visible straight-on just above the chest. Maybe the crest would get lowered.

My point is. As soon as we say ‘yes, it is okay to get revenue from ads on jerseys,’ we are also saying that it is okay for us to care a little bit less about the aesthetics of hockey. And for me that little bit less actually makes a huge difference. Would I get used to it and stop whining? Yeah at some point. But I also would not care about jersey designs as much.

I’ll leave you with this. Just take a look at the amount of perfection in this picture and then imagine the golden arched-M on Lidstrom’s shoulder.