Advertising on jerseys: Can FIFA stop it?

[fútbolfan2003]

I'm a big football fan, and I have hardly any complaints about it, but I wanted to mention a minor complaint that I have...

The only thing that is better about basketball, baseball, and hockey is that they don't allow advertising on the player's jerseys. You look at the average football team, and the players don't look like athletes, they look like walking billboards. Although there are teams that have little or no advertising on their jerseys, the majority of them do. It just makes the jerseys look so ugly. I understand that sponsors putting ads on the player's jerseys brings the teams some much needed money, but couldn't FIFA just make a rule that no ads are allowed on player's jerseys?

[Knave]

First, I changed the thread title so folks knew better what this thread is about.

There is a such a rule for national teams (at least at FIFA sanctioned tournaments, maybe everywhere). As far as league play is concerned, I'm not actually sure that FIFA has jurisdiction unless the advertising interferes with the actual play in some manner.

[cafrine]

Originally posted by Knave
First, I changed the thread title so folks knew better what this thread is about.

um, what was wrong with his original title? it doesn't have to specific and conforming to your standards all the time, you know. that's ridiculous.

[Nacional Tijuana]

I didn't know there was such a rule for NT's. I had thought Ireland's squad had a sponsor. Maybe I'm thinking about rugby.

My thoughts are rather longwinded, but here goes. In MLS (and some USL teams), the team name is in big letters, which I find tacky and I find to clutter the jersey a bit, at least how MLS does it. I do, however, like a sponsor on the front. As you said, it brings in money. I just also think it's a good way to distinguish between the blue of Chelsea, and the blue of an Australian side I forget the name of now (I think Olympic Sharks, maybe.

I do, however, think it can go overboard. Richmond Kickers of the A-League have a sponsor on the chest, another on the shirt tail, and yet another on the buttocks. WUSA jerseys are even worse! Multicolor logos front and center, plus sponsors where the team seals might otherwise traditionally be.

Several Swedish clubs have instances where one or two players might wear a different shirt sponsor and certain others on the team. That would be a very good instance of possible confusion and interference with the match (heck, I don't even like keeper jerseys looking different than other jerseys even though it's a tradition of our generation).

If I were a league commish, I'd require a maximum of one shirt sponsor, and the traditional small crest. I'd allow no sponsor if the team so desired. I might even try to regulate the style of the kits, because even kits w/o sponsors can get pretty wild, imo.

[halfnelson31]

The Irish jersey has a logo and the word "eircom" on it. what does it mean? it sounds like a company to me but i dont know

[fútbolfan2003]

I'm looking at a Chivas jersey from last year. It has 3 sponsors on the front (Cemex, Comex, and Cemento Tolteca), 2 sponsors on each sleeve (LALA / SKY and New Mix), and 2 sponsors on the back (Sol beer and Coca-Cola). That's a total of 7 sponsors on one jersey. Needless to say, the jersey looks cluttered with sponsors, and the look of the jersey is ruined.

[Ricky_DCU]

The Irish national team does have a sponsor, but they're not allowed to have the sponsor on their shirt during actual matches. However, just about all of the Irish replica jerseys have the sponsor on them. FIFA ruled they couldn't have the sponsor on the shirt for matches.

[Auriaprottu]

Originally posted by Nacional Tijuana
I didn't know there was such a rule for NT's. I had thought Ireland's squad had a sponsor. Maybe I'm thinking about rugby.

Ireland's jersey has "eirecom" on it, I think. It's on the front page of the site now, but I'm too lazy to look. I wondered about the NT sponsor thing myself when I first saw someone (not a player) wearing it.

My thoughts are rather longwinded, but here goes. In MLS (and some USL teams), the team name is in big letters, which I find tacky and I find to clutter the jersey a bit, at least how MLS does it.

Agreed. But I will say it probably would never have made any difference to me if I had never joined BigSoccer and found out how many of my countrymen use the baseball logos as part of an agenda (see playoffs, etc) to wet-nurse inbreds who don't like the Game now, and won't like the Cliff Notes much more.

I do, however, like a sponsor on the front. As you said, it brings in money. I just also think it's a good way to distinguish between the blue of Chelsea, and the blue of an Australian side I forget the name of now (I think Olympic Sharks, maybe.

Agreed again. I'll always associate Teka wih Real, Candy with Liverpool, JVC with Arsenal, Pirelli with Inter, Opel with Milan, etc. When my folks went to Spain, I asked for Real white field and GK jerseys, and told them to make sure of two things: that they were Adidas, and that they had the Teka logo. I didn't want one witout the sponsor, even tho they exist (CL versions).

I do, however, think it can go overboard. Richmond Kickers of the A-League have a sponsor on the chest, another on the shirt tail, and yet another on the buttocks. WUSA jerseys are even worse! Multicolor logos front and center, plus sponsors where the team seals might otherwise traditionally be.

It can be overdone, no doubt.

[CrewDust]

Originally posted by halfnelson31
The Irish jersey has a logo and the word "eircom" on it. what does it mean? it sounds like a company to me but i dont know

I assume Irish Telcom.

What about Phillips for The USA?

[Big Football]

If I recall correctly, shirt advertisement started back in the mid-70s and at the time it seemed a bold and disturbing idea for football purist, but, nowadays fans, like myself, have grown accostumed to see commercial names on the jerseys and are just part of the kit and, to agree with Auriaprottu, only the real shirt, sponsors and all, will do.
In fact, MLS should think of adopting this trend to bring some much needed cash to their teams, I agree with Nacional tijuana that the name of the team up front is just plain tacky and they should look more like a real football club and put a paid sponsor instead! And 2 sponsors should be the maximun allowed by fifa, certainly not 7 like Guadalajara!!
On the matter of National Teams, they can have advrtsmt during trainning but never in what fifa considers an A1 match, against another nat team, either a friendly or tourney.

[denver_mugwamp]

I've been watching a lot of the Bolivian, Peruvian, and Ecuador games on Gol TV. Down there they even sell advertising on the player's butts. Come to think of that, I saw "Butt Ads" in an A League game too. Said "Best Seat in the House".

[AvidSinger]

Originally posted by Knave
There is a such a rule for national teams (at least at FIFA sanctioned tournaments, maybe everywhere). As far as league play is concerned, I'm not actually sure that FIFA has jurisdiction unless the advertising interferes with the actual play in some manner. Actually, they do. They recently passed a rule restricting advertising to jerseys only.

[kwik1980]

Originally posted by CrewDust
I assume Irish Telcom.

What about Phillips for The USA?

Phillips only gets their logo on off the field wear. (warm-ups, shirts, etc...), the actual on-field shirt has no sponsor, and so it's ok, per FIFA rules, I believe the same thing happens with England, sponsored by Nationwide, and Svenska Spel, which plasters their logo on the Swedish off-field apparel.

That to me, doesn't seem to be a problem. Nor does the single sponsor on most teams shirts (Aside from Doritios on the Wolves kit, but that's another story...) Where it gets to be overkill is when there are multiple logos on a shirt, plus the logo of the shirt producer. Go to www.kalmarff.se if you are interested, and look at any match photo (located under "matchbilder" for those not versed in Swedish), and explain why 2 teams in the Swedish first division can combine for anywhere between 12-15 ads. I understand the need for the ads, but there has to be a limit somewhere.