The NHL Is Putting Ads On Jerseys This Season And Everybody Is Going To Care Until They Literally Don't Even Notice Them Anymore
RvS.Media/Monika Majer. Getty Images.Alright so first of all, you don't have to worry about NHL sweaters getting this out of control with ads. Or at least not yet. Because the sponsorship patches for this season are only going to be 3x3.5 inches.
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Now maybe there will come a day when the NHL jersey looks more like a NASCAR jacket than a hockey sweater. It was a helmet sticker last year, now a jersey patch this year. So if you're following the trend, there are probably a few more ads along the way.
But for the time being? This is exactly how it's going to work out. You're going to have a bunch of "purists" who say this is a disgrace to the game. You're going to have a bunch of people who act as if throwing a patch on the jersey is putting the NHL in the express lane to becoming soccer. (By the way, did you see how much money Messi is making? I bet there are a bunch of guys in the NHL right now who wouldn't mind the NHL getting a little closer to soccer at the moment). Everybody is going to be angry about the NHL's decision and then…
Well then October is going to roll around, you're going to be watching the games, and you're not even going to notice the ads on the jersey. It won't even be a thought that creeps into your tiny little brain. Perhaps it'll catch you slightly off guard when you get a close up shot on the broadcast before a faceoff. But for the most part, you won't notice it. And eventually it'll just be the way that life is because that's how these things always work. It could be a new alternate uniform, it could be a sponsorship sticker on the helmet, it could be an ad patch on the jersey. Hockey fans always hate everything the moment it's announced, then totally forget they hated it in the first place once they're watching it in action. Aside from maybe that hideous black Islanders uniform from 2011-14.
The only thing about putting ads on jerseys that should really bother you right now is that it means the Tampa Bay Lightning will have even more opportunities to circumvent the salary cap now that the ceiling will most likely climb up in the next couple of years.