(This article was originally drafted in July of 2022 but was not published as we wanted to actually see the ads in action; This article was last updated in August of 2023)
The Issue/What Hockey fans need to know:
Hockey has always been considered a sport of tradition. One such tradition that fans of all NHL teams enjoy – especially fans of the “Original Six” teams – is the purity and prestige of their jerseys, for example, the jersey’s heritage and history or its symbolic meaning as a monument of the team’s years of pain and glory. In August 2021, the NHL owners approved jersey advertisements for this upcoming 2022-23 NHL season. Usually, when the NHL makes an announcement of this kind and magnitude, hockey fans are quickly divided into fans who support the change and fans who don’t. However, in this instance, hockey fans seem to be almost unanimously united in their disdain for these jersey ads. While we understand both sides of this heavy coin, we also have a front regarding this issue.
Motivations behind Jersey advertisements
The main motive behind the NHL’s decision to allow jersey advertisements is money. Having previously worked as the NBA’s senior vice president, it has been well-documented that Gary Bettman, the NHL’s Commissioner, has kept a close eye on the NBA, with many of his decisions coming in sync with the NBA. (For example, the resumption of the 2019-20 NHL season post-covid, which resumed on August 1, the day after the NBA resumed their season). Thus, when the NBA announced a three-year trial run of jersey ads, hockey fans knew it was only a matter of time before ads also appeared on their jerseys. The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the NHL’s economy further solidified this reality by creating a need for new revenue streams. While some fans may have hoped the helmet ads introduced for the 2020-21 season would be enough, jersey ads were always inevitable either way – if a) the helmet ads were successful, the owners would realize that jersey ads were the next logical move in building on that success but if b) the helmet ads weren’t successful and didn’t cover the owners’ losses, they would still need a new revenue stream with jersey ads being the most feasible way to cover the losses. Either way, one could say the announcement of helmet ads for the 2020-21 season was a precursor for jersey ads.
Issues/Objections with the NHL allowing jersey advertisements
Even though the NHL is a business and jersey ads are a quick money grab that technically adds a liquid asset to the league’s finances, there are better methods that can generate more money for the NHL without taking away from the prestige of NHL jerseys. One such idea could be adding a tournament for the non-playoff teams, with the winner earning the first overall pick. However, by modifying jerseys with non-NHL-affiliated advertisement patches, the NHL is toying with the element that draws fans in: the game’s purity and authenticity. The Stanley Cup is said to be the most strenuous and rewarding championship to capture in sports; between all the physical sacrifices from the players (for example, Patrice Bergeron playing with broken ribs in the 2013 playoffs) and the league’s parity, capturing the ultimate trophy in hockey is much more arduous than winning a championship in other sports. This authentic struggle for the cup causes many more casuals to tune in during the Stanley Cup playoffs. With jersey advertisements, that struggle feels more sponsored (especially with the advertisements forcing the Stanley Cup Final patch to be on the same side as the captain’s patch), which messes with what makes hockey different (and better than in the eyes of its viewers) from the other big four sports. If you think of the league’s fan base as a golden egg, the NHL would be poisoning the goose (the game’s purity and authenticity) responsible for the golden egg.
Another distinct aspect of the NHL that draws many fans is its traditions. The diehards of the game have a fond common bond over the game’s superstitions. Hockey “sweaters”, as called by the diehards, form hockey’s best tradition (arguably) that distinguishes the NHL from the other big four leagues. Obviously, advertisements contaminate the prestige of a hockey jersey, which also blackmarks the league’s traditions and toys with the draw of hockey and the distinct features of the NHL that create its biggest fans. Moreover, by showing disloyalty and blindness to their diehards’ most beloved aspect of hockey, the NHL risks those diehards ditching hockey for other sports. Basically, the NHL is creating two new problems through jersey ads, either of which could result in fans looking elsewhere for entertainment.
The final verdict:
We, the NHLHockeyDays jury, find the NHL’s decision to introduce jersey advertisements to be an incorrect error. The NHL has a fiscal issue, and while jersey ads may solve that issue in the short term, the NHL unnecessarily risks losing many prospective fans when the problem can be fixed easily through other means, such as the non-playoff team tournament.
