Bears Sell Ad Space on Practice Jerseys

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jul 22, 2009 2:20PM

Is it only a matter of time before American pro athletes begin to look like NASCAR drivers, enveloped in countless sponsor logos? As the crap economy takes a bite out of team revenues, more and more are looking into alternate revenue streams. For the Chicago Bears, that means a new deal that will add sponsorship patches to the players' practice jerseys for Training Camp and the regular season.

When the Bears open camp next week in Bourbonnais, each player will sport a 3.5-by-4.5-inch patch advertising NorthShore University HealthSystem on the left side of their chest. This will be the first time that Bears players themselves have worn any advertising on their body -- although the Bears aren't the first team to sell ad spots on their practice duds. The Tennessee Titans started the trend last year, and they got the league's official blessing this spring.

Can ads on game day uniforms be far away now? That's where the huge number of impressions are, between the crowds in the stadium and the countless viewers on TV, wire service photos in newspapers and online, etc. And since the stadium themselves are about maxed out with ad placements and sponsorship tie-ins, the players are just about the only virgin ad space left. Athletes in much of the world wear corporate brands across their uniforms... how long before the NFL sells out, too?