The parade of NHL jersey ads marches on.
Following new jersey ads for the road sweaters of the Washington Capitals and LA Kings, the Edmonton Oilers are the latest NHL team to place an advertisement on their jersey. Unlike the Caps and Kings, who previously sported ads on their home jerseys and helmets, this is the first time the team’s jerseys will include an ad. The Oilers blue helmets already have an ad on them.
According to the Oilers, the agreement “makes Play Alberta the exclusive sports betting and online gaming partner of the Edmonton Oilers. The deal will see the Play Alberta logo featured prominently on the Oilers home jerseys and GameSense, AGLC’s responsible gambling program, displayed on the helmets of the Oilers for each home game.”
It seems teams these days are not only not shy about putting ads on uniforms, they’re even touting the new “partners” with hype videos.
Introducing @PlayAlbertaCA, the official #Oilers home jersey partner! pic.twitter.com/zptZXuqFeD
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 9, 2024
There are those who argue that all jersey ads are bad, regardless of who the advertiser is (and I agree), but there are others who feel some ads are worse than others — either because of the size, shape, colors, etc. or because of who the advertiser actually is. Since three of the Big 4 (MLB, NHL, NBA) have begun permitting uniform ads, some have been viewed as more noxious than others. In the case of the Edmonton Oilers, their advertiser has already raised questions and met opposition.
Play Alberta, which has been on the helmets for more than a year, is the brand name of the province’s lone sanctioned gambling website. Gambling ads have been visible on NHL players’ helmets since the 2020-2021 season, when the NHL was looking for ways to make up for lost revenue due to the pandemic. The selling of ad space to gambling websites has only increased since then.
I’m of the mind that all uniform ads, be they on jerseys or helmets, or anywhere else on the uniform, are bad. But the selling of ads to questionable companies (Enron Field anyone? FTX on Umpires’ uniforms?) seems like something that will continue apace. I’m not singling out the Oilers here — there are several advertisers across several sports that are sketchy companies at best. There was initially backlash at the Oilers placing the Play Alberta ad on their helmets, but it certainly hasn’t deterred the team from expanding their footprint on the jerseys.
There’s a saying that “When you lie with dogs, you get fleas.” I honestly know nothing about Play Alberta, so I’m not trying to put them in the same category as Enron or FTX (or other questionable advertisements/advertisers). But others have raised concerns. And regardless of whose ad is on the jersey, it’s still another jersey ad.
We can probably expect more NHL teams that are currently ad-less to be announcing new deals soon.
Of course. Having only seen the image elsewhere online, I was holding out hope this was something along the lines of You Can Play, or the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, where it was about encouraging children to play sports. More fool me for thinking this might have some sort of uplifting component to it.
It remains the case that the only “good” jersey patch is the Jazz’ old 5 for the Fight patch, which while it did have to do with Qualtrics, was more about their cancer charity than the company itself. (Possible exception: the Kraken have a patch for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, which might have some more non-profit style benefits for the tribe than the average patch, which is solely about advertising.)
“Pete Rose Banned for Life from Fan Duel Sportsbook Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.” –The Onion
Spot on.
Lots of hypocrisy of betting ads on uniforms or anywhere near a rink/field. That, and commercials for betting websites during games.
Sports betting ads. Double-plus despair-inducing.
Something interesting to note. Long before ads on uniforms. When the Oilers started in the early 1970s, the logo and colours were influenced by Gulf.
link
Which is still my favorite livery in 60s and 70s car racing. Sky blue and orange is such a cool combination.
Gross.
Sports betting as uniform advertisers is rampant in pro sports while at the same time the mere thought of point shaving, corruption or any other means of influencing the outcome of a game beforehand is condemned by the same teams and leagues. I understand if discerning fans turn away from pro sports.