New NBA commissioner Adam Silver has some very interesting plans to put his league on top. However, those plans may not be very agreeable with the current fan base. There have been talks of expanding the NBA season, and even to shorten the NBA season. Other talks include television contracts with various networks. Whatever else Silver's plans are for the NBA, everyone knows that he plans to make the league more popular than the NFL. Is that even possible? Well, the commissioner's plan may work off of one idea.
What is that idea, you might ask. Well, that idea is to put commercial logos on NBA jerseys? That's right. In 2011, Silver mentioned that placing ads on NBA jerseys will attract a revenue of over $100 million dollars. That alone will make his dream at beating out the NFL in popularity, a real one. Right now, the NBA is 3rd in professional sports revenue and sales. Roger Goodell's NFL is at first place, and Bud Selig's MLB is at second place. Currently, the NBA is worth an estimated $5 billion dollars. Now, it is to my understanding that adding the commercial logos onto the jerseys of our famous NBA stars will generate a much larger revenue for the league. But what do the fans think? How do the players feel? Does anybody even like the sleeved jerseys that were worn at the All Star game?
One thing for sure, two for certain, Adam Silver does not need the fans permission to put the ads on the jerseys. I know that's pretty tough to take in, but it's the truth. Silver has the authority to do almost anything he wants with the league if he can get it pass the NBA Board of Governors, which most likely he will. But not to worry NBA fans, Silver told ESPN.com that "The sense was that we were a little premature on the program and we needed to think it through systematically a little bit more." Therefore, no decision will be final for a while on whether the NBA jerseys will have commercial ads or not.
I do not believe that Silver is acting in the best interest of the fans nor the players in regards to the changes in team apparel on the court. Most players even dislike that jerseys with sleeves. They believe it to be interfering with their performance on the court. However, there was a split between the fans on whether they liked the sleeves or not. This NBA season, players were allowed the opportunity to wear their nicknames on the back of their jerseys. Personally, I did not agree with that. It took away from the seriousness and the competitiveness of the game. It was as though they were amateurs playing street ball at Rucker Park. Of course, they did not perform as amateurs, but judging by the names on the backs of the jerseys, it seemed like I was observing a game played by amateurs. That is not what the NBA is all about.
I am all for Adam Silver attempting to compete with the NFL for popularity, but I do not believe that placing ads on the jerseys is the way to go. Certainly, it would generate sales and bring in a larger amount of revenue for the league, yet there are pros and cons to any and everything. In this case, the cons outweigh the pros. That is just my personal opinion. I know that most fans do not want to see their favorite players in jerseys that sponsor McDonald's for instance with their team logo at the bottom or center. What are they? Billboards? Walking, shooting, passing, stealing, dunking billboards. This is a bad idea. Not only is it a bad idea, but I imagine it to be extremely tacky and useless. Can you imagine Wilt Chamberlain wearing a Soul Glo ad on his Los Angeles Lakers jersey? Ridiculous!
More things such as the officials should be discussed and open for change. That of all things need to change. The officiating today is horrible. The calls are an utter travesty. Cut out the touch fouls, the charging fouls, etc. Let the players play! Get rid of the technical fouls. Only use them when they are necessary. It is as though the officials are controlling the players emotions and keeping them on leash. This is basketball!
In contrast to Adam Silver, I do not believe that wearing ads on jerseys will be the future of the NBA. Beat out the NFL in another way.
Sports-Kings Pass The Pill Contributor, Briyant Hines @CST_SportSnitch
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