Corporate logos will not destroy tradition

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 1:25 AM Wednesday, June 24, 2009

So the New York Jets are selling space on their practice jerseys to a New Jersey-based health care provider.

Big deal.

This move will surely be treated, especially in and around New York, as a slap in the face to the history, tradition and fan base of the Jets, and to the NFL in general. How dare they allow a corporate logo onto these sacred spaces?

Any other businessperson in the world, faced with such space that was viewed as massively valuable, would have done the same thing. But, like most cases in sports, we expect athletics executives to act differently.

Remember the bases promoting “Spider-Man 2” on Major League Baseball fields in 2004? Angry fans reacted quickly, and their ire caused the bases to disappear.

I like tradition as much as the next sports fan, but it’s just not realistic to believe that teams, when faced with an opportunity to make more money, won’t jump at the chance. More revenue means promotions, and promotions mean bigger salaries. Etc., etc. These are human beings.

I think we still have a long way to go before we see corporate logos on game-day uniform space, and when it happens, I’ll feel the same way. One might even expect the Dallas Cowboys star to be used as the middle letter in some company’s name if the team needs the money, as continued revenue success is not written in stone.

Chico’s Bail Bonds, here we come.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com

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