Orlando Magic City Edition Uniform

via Orlando Magic

Being a native Orlandoan, I've always had mixed emotions about the Orlando Magic. Don't get me wrong, I will always support my home team, but the Magic never felt like my home team. Orlando has become a transplant city. People from all over the world come here to see that magical place where the mouse lives. Or they relocate after spending a lifetime up north. Very few people know or understand the history of this City Beautiful, but Nike has taken the time to help those who are interested, understand.

via Orlando Magic

With the new addition to their family of uniforms, The Orlando Magic unveiled their new City Edition Jersey back in November. The first thing I thought of when I saw the basketball uniform, was "wow, they changed the entire color scheme." After getting past the shock value of an Orlando Magic jersey not being blue or white with stars or stripes, the jersey instantly made me think of the things this City Beautiful is known for.

The reality of this orange jersey did not disappoint. Instead, it exceeded expectations. The uniforms, which pay homage to Central Florida's ties to the citrus industry, feature a dark gray base with orange lettering and trim. As the NBA stated, "From its very early beginnings, orange has been a part of Orlando – from sunshine to orange groves to Orange County to Orange Ave., it's the color thread that intertwines the fabric of this city, its people and this team". The minimalist design, with the simple "ORL" abbreviation on the front, definitely stands out among the other uniforms in Orlando's lineup.

From My Perspective

In their partnership, Nike and the NBA have taken marketing through sports and of sports to a new level. Nike has given the NBA a face-lift on the court and the talent. With new City Edition uniforms coming each season, the NBA is staying fresh and relevant in the minds of consumers, while also giving fans a tangible and emotional connection to their city and their favorite teams.

What are your thoughts on this season's Orlando Magic City Edition uniforms? Will you be buying a jersey to represent your city and your home team?

The Value Behind NBA Jersey Patches

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

via NBA

The 2017-2018 season brought a new look to the NBA. Being the first of the four major U.S. sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) to add sponsorship patches to their jerseys, the NBA welcomes the expansion of its legacy by adding a new revenue stream for its teams and players.

Currently, 19 of the 30 NBA teams have signed jersey patch deals. However, the sponsored jersey deals are not long-term for the NBA - they are a part of an initial three-year agreement in which the NBA will evaluate the ROI (return on investment) of the jersey patch agreements.

So what is the value of a jersey sponsor patch for not only the NBA but also for the sponsors?

Let's start with the largest jersey patch deals:

• Golden State Warriors and eCommerce company Rakuten, valued at $20M (the largest jersey patch deal so far)

• Los Angeles Lakers and eCommerce platform Wish, valued at $12-$14M

• Cleveland Cavaliers and Goodyear, valued at $10M

• Boston Celtics and General Electrics, valued at $8M

Two weeks into the 2017-2018 NBA season, the Warriors, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Celtics accounted for 87% of the total earned media for jersey patches where earned media value equaled $2,592,513.73, according to BlinkFire Analytics.

So what supplies the value surrounding sponsored jersey patches? The value comes directly from digital marketing across various media platforms, where social media takes the lead.

When analyzing sponsorship value for the Golden State Warriors across their social media channels, Blinkfire reported that Rakuten earned media value totaling $1,030,811.25 during the first two weeks of the 2017-2018 NBA season where they also made up 52% of the Warriors sponsorship value.

I know you are saying "enough with the big numbers. What does all of this mean"? Well, the significant value for NBA jersey sponsor patches is in the increased brand value for the sponsors and of course the increase in revenue for NBA teams and players. 

Think of how many times you have seen the new NBA Nike jerseys with the sponsor patches. Now, think of how many times you or others may have researched or inquired about the sponsor and why they chose to sponsor a particular team. Also, think about how many people may have liked, commented, or followed the jersey patch sponsors just because of their association with a specific NBA team. That creates an increase in brand awareness and recognition for the sponsors. 

With the rise of digital media consumption and the forward-thinking progress of the NBA, becoming a jersey patch sponsor of the NBA is a win-win for any company that takes advantage of this three-year patch deal.

Sponsored jersey patches not only bring in money for the NBA and recognition for the sponsors - it adds another layer of storytelling between brands and sports teams. The majority of brands that have sponsored patches have a lasting history in the cities of the NBA teams they are sponsoring, and some have been sponsors of the respective teams for years (i.e., Goodyear and the Cleveland Cavaliers or Infor and the Brooklyn Nets).

Coupled with the additional revenue and brand awareness, adding sponsored patches to jerseys puts the NBA in a global space that the NFL, MLB, and NHL are not in. When you watch global games, you see sponsors on jerseys. With its growing global presence, the addition of sponsored jersey patches solidifies the NBA as a global game. In return, more value for the NBA and its sponsors on a much larger (global) scale.