Authentic fans may not like it, but advertisements on Major League Baseball uniforms may be on deck. The NHL recently considered but rejected the idea of putting brand logos on hockey uniforms, and the NBA is tinkering with their uniforms in a way that may be very ad-friendly. But Major League Baseball may be the leadoff hitter when it comes to placing ads on uniforms, according to San Francisco Giants team CEO Larry Baer.
"I would forecast that it's coming," Baer said in an interview on San Francisco's KNBR. "It's just going to come in a way, hopefully, that's tasteful. Look, advertising has been a part of the world of baseball for a long time. Remember the old outfield signs that said, 'Hit it here, win a suit'?"
(Baer is referencing the "Hit Sign, Win Suit" ad for Abe Stark at the Brooklyn Dodgers' stadium in the 1920s. He's going way back for that particular reference.)
Fast forward to 2014, though, and you'll hear baseball executives clamoring for advertisements on MLB uniforms. "I think it's coming," Baer said in an appearance on "The Tom Tolbert Show." "This is new revenue. And I think there’s always ownership support for new revenue, right?"
Baer's remarks on the matter begin at the 4:30 mark of the KNBR interview.
"It's come up," Baer said of the ads on baseball uniforms. "In baseball and football, it's basically the manufacturer is the name on the uniform and that's about it."
But with new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred taking office in January 2015, the league may have a new outlook on advertising.
"I think it is one thing with the change of commissioners. There may be possibly a different perspective," Baer told KNBR. "With Rob Manfred, who presumably will be commissioner for a while, I think there may be an evolution toward it. It probably would be done in a way that's tasteful."
Of course, 'tasteful' is in the eye of the beholder.
In the HDTV and Internet era, advertising on uniforms is not limited to uniforms. The ads on a uniform will also appear on "SportsCenter" and all of the other scores and highlights shows. The sponsored logos would appear on the very popular MLB online video highlights. An ad on a uniform cannot be skipped with DVR technology, and the logo is 'always in the shot.'
Baer said that he prefers a subtle corporate logo placed on the sleeve of an MLB uniform. "I don’t know who would be on the sleeve or whatever," Baer said."Something tells me it will be a sleeve."
But when a top team executive starts openly discussing an idea like this, it's a good bet that MLB owners have something up their sleeve.
). But I am very glad I'm not the guy who has to figure out how much a star player is worth, because my team wouldn't pay for any of them.
