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Steve_v3

Adidas lands NHL jersey deal

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I'm not going to let silly stuff like this stop me from watching,loving and supporting the greatest sport in the world. As ugly as sponsor logos look on uniforms (and they do) I'm not going to stop supporting the sport. It's "damned if you, damned if you don't", people will always find something to complain about.

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It won't be up to adidas for sponsors on the jerseys - it'd be up to the NHL.

You won't see adidas equipment either.


Interesting news. Ads on jerseys are pretty gross, but I can see them doing it. I wouldn't buy any gear that had an ad (besides for the respective team) on it though.

Any thoughts on wether Adidas will dip a toe into equipment a la Reebok? Seems kind of weird to just do jerseys and some apparel but not have any real association with the sport.

The apparel will be CCM.

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One thing I haven't seen or heard anyone ask yet.

Do we know if ads on jerseys would trickle down to the consumer level as well? Or is this something that could just be at the NHL level?

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Jesus you're comparisons are absurd. Done here.

offering evidence that American fans will still follow something despite having ads be a part of it is more absurd than suggesting fans will be with torches and pitchforks at NHL HQ because of some complaints you've heard? Will the majority of people like it? No. Will it alienate fan bases and kill the sport? No.

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One thing I haven't seen or heard anyone ask yet.

Do we know if ads on jerseys would trickle down to the consumer level as well? Or is this something that could just be at the NHL level?

Really depends on how it's done. If it's a patch, no.

If we use the WNBA for example (only mainstream US-based non-soccer league that has sponsors on their jersey), they follow soccer's model and the fan jerseys indeed have the sponsors on it. I don't see any kids' jerseys on there but in Europe, depending on the country/team, they don't put sponsors on the child jerseys.

Keep in mind that in hockey in Europe, the sponsors defray the costs of operating the team and tickets are much cheaper than what they would be in North America. That all being said, if that additional revenue trickles down to the supporters' base, then it's accepted - it's a necessary evil. If the NHL teams get this new stream of revenue to line their pockets and everything stays at the same price or more, then there's a legitimate bitch.

offering evidence that American fans will still follow something despite having ads be a part of it is more absurd than suggesting fans will be with torches and pitchforks at NHL HQ because of some complaints you've heard? Will the majority of people like it? No. Will it alienate fan bases and kill the sport? No.

The NASCAR model is an important argument as drivers are identified by sponsor in a lot of ways; the fans that support the driver also support the sponsor. I read an article about this a while back; NASCAR fans are extremely brand loyal. Guys who don't like Jimmie Johnson won't shop at Lowe's knowing it's the main sponsor on the #48.

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If the NHL teams get this new stream of revenue to line their pockets and everything stays at the same price or more, then there's a legitimate bitch.

Was talking with a ticket holder buddy yesterday, and that's what we are worried about.

Doubt I'm going to stop watching NHL because of a Burger King patch, but it has been nice to have clean jerseys so far.

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NHL teams have never turned new revenue/found money into ticket subsidies. Prices didn't drop a penny when they got the salary rollback and cap after the 2004 lockout. Anyone expecting equipment ads to translate into lower or slower increasing ticket prices is chasing rainbows.

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Conpletely agree with JR regarding the NASCAR reference. For some reason, God knows why (I don't follow NASCAR) they seem to embrace it. To others it may look ugly as hell, but it's a part of their sport.

My argument is that it isn't going to trickle down. It creates a bigger disparity between the league and its fans when the league does something to "better the game and it's franchises" and their is nothing shown for it.

I never said it will be the destruction of the league. The league has gone through far worse. It doesn't make sense to me why the league would do such a risky move when it seems like they are on the rise in popularity. It's been a long time since fans have been this excited about the league, with upcoming superstars like McDavid/MacKinnon/Eichel, outdoor arenas, and the World Cup of Hockey.

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First, disparity is hardly the correct choice of word. Second, nobody considers these ads to be for the betterment of the game (although it will help struggling teams). Third, your words: "A complete redesign of the uniforms is a catastrophic idea."

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Due to their fan base's loyalty to the brand through the driver, NASCAR has been able to get brands that don't "necessarily fit" the PERCEIVED demographic. (Really had to choose my words carefully there.)

I went to a Daytona 500 back in 2009 and was very surprised - saw people of all races and genders wearing the gear and consuming the products. And with NASCAR, you can't skirt the sponsor - if you're wearing a Dale Jr. jacket ALL of his sponsors are on that jacket.

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NASCAR actually has it both ways. For some it is the driver that leads the fans to the sponsor(s) and for others it is the sponsor(s) that leads the fans to the driver. For example, some fans will follow a driver no matter what is on their car and others will ditch said driver should they leave Chevy for Ford or vice versa.

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As long as it's a league wide deal and not a team by team sales I'm ok with it. But if the larger market teams get to sell the ads the small teams are out of luck and it makes no sense.

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I'm a NASCAR guy. The sponsor dollars in NASCAR are what keeps the individual driver's teams in business allowing them to compete for 36 races. Each team has a budget in excess of $25-$30mil per year. The teams need that sponsorship $$ or they will fold. That is the relationship that makes it work for sponsor and team. Also, placement of the sponsor ad on the car varies in cost by location too. Sponsors pay the most for being on the hood of the car. Trunk placement, quarter panel placement and on all have different costs for location. I would think that the NHL teams would follow the same business model for size and location of sponsor ad on the jerseys. We know NHL teams don't need the sponsor $ to survive the way NASCAR teams do so this will be added revenue that teams bank at once.

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Yes, I do not trust Adidas one bit to redesign the jerseys. If they have full control it will be bad. I can't show you the future, so guess you will have to take my word for that.

They have made egregious errors in virtually every major sport. I just think there are better ways to increase revenue for clubs. To me it seems like the NHL, if ads are implemented, is giving up on trying to increase jersey sales. They're finding their money elsewhere without looking at the root of the problem. Why are hockey jerseys not as popular in the U.S. compared to football and basketball? I'm not offering up solutions as I don't get paid thousands of dollars to do so.

It won't kill the league. That's ridiculous to believe, but it certainly can hurt. Tread carefully

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I'd say they're getting plenty of that elsewhere money by doubling their jersey deal. As for why the NHL jerseys don't do as well, they are more expensive than those of the other sports and not nearly the type of everyday attire as the jerseys of those other sports.

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It's hard to increase jersey sales since the Chinese bootleggers got in the game. It will be interesting to see if major corporate sponsors take an aggressive approach with their legal departments to dig deep in China. I would imagine the international playing field is a lot different for them to navigate than when Mickey D's goes after a basement silkscreener in America.

I still think the majority of fans that you see wearing jerseys at games will continue to buy new jerseys for their favorite team/player regardless of advertising.

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Word has it that one of the drivers of the removal of Reebok from hockey is so that CCM can be sold by Adidas. Hence, if Adidas wants to keep the jersey contract with the NHL in house then the safest route is to have it under the Adidas name and not CCM.

Pretty sure it's Reebok that's on the chopping block, not CCM. Reebok has struggled since the mid-90s and is transitioning to a fitness brand.

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I heard that last night. It was interesting to hear that both CCM and Taylormade (surprised it was ever for sale) have been taken off the block.

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An area where Adidas beats the pants off Reebok is in leisure apparel, especially urban lifestyle wear. The NHL has said publicly that's the market they are looking to expand into, so this move makes sense on a lot of levels. They sell more NHL branded leisure items this way and the volume lines both parties' pockets.

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