NBA Approves Advertising on Jerseys for 2013-14 Season

       The NBA is making an extremely controversial change for the 2013-14 season.
For the first time in a major modern American professional sport, advertisers will be allowed to invade the sanctity of the uniform that players don.
According to an Associated Press report (via Sports Illustrated), it’s expected that the league as a whole would gain up to $100 million in additional revenue by selling small patches on the jersey of each team.
The practice, nba jerseys long associated with European soccer leagues, has been fought tooth and nail by leagues in the United States, with the notable exception of the WNBA and MLS.
Grantland’s Michael Kruse wrote a piece on the issue entitled "The Coming of the Goldman Sachs Yankees" back in May. It seems the country collectively sees uniform advertisements as an invasive and obstructive measure that violates the purity of the sport. But it’s time to get with the times.
Remember, this is a league that had to borrow $175 million for 15 of its teams back in 2009 and isn’t exactly printing money. Unsuccessful franchises on the court tend to be a losing investment for owners.

Silver (left) is the brainchild behind the advertisements on the NBA uniforms
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

By adding another stream of revenue,nba jerseys the league will be more profitable and should theoretically cost less and reduce the skyrocketing prices for fans to attend a game, purchase a jersey and involve themselves with their favorite teams financially.
While the NBA does not have a lot of “detection opportunities” due to the pace of the game and standard TV camera angles, the league still stands to profit immensely from placing these advertisements on their jerseys, according to a 2011 study by Horizon Media.