We all knew this day was coming, but that doesn’t make it any easier.
The San Diego Padres Monday announced that in 2023 they’ll become the first MLB team to don ads on their uniforms—with the Motorola logo going on their jersey sleeves. The ad will be on the batter’s front sleeve—so on the left sleeve for right-handed hitters and vice versa.
“Motorola’s iconic logo on our jersey is a perfect alignment with our Padres brand,” Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement.
Although the Padres’ jersey ads won’t go into effect until next season, league officials note that ads on helmets may appear during this year’s postseason.
The new CBA the league and players’ association signed last month gives clubs the right to sell ad space on their unis.
“Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything else in these rules, a club may license to third-party commercial sponsors the right to place their name, logos, and/or marks on the uniform, provided that the patch or design is approved in advance by the Office of the Commissioner after consultation with the players’ association,” the league said.
The league has seen jersey/helmet ads before, but they were never a permanent fixture. Major League Soccer was the first of the major North American leagues to allow jersey ads back in 2007. The NBA followed suit for the 2017-18 season, while the NHL caved for the 2020-21 season.
