New York Yankees Sell Advertising on Jersey Sleeve

Article ByKyle Garlett

July 13, 2023

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Posted in: US Sports Betting News, US Gambling News

Even the world famous pinstripes of the New York Yankees are not immune from the quest for advertising dollars. For an annual payment of $25 million, Starr Insurance now has a patch on the sleeve of the Yankees’ home and away jerseys.

“We are extremely proud to welcome Starr Insurance as the Yankees’ first-ever Signature Partner,” owner Hal Steinbrenner announced in a statement. “Having Starr as an insurance carrier of ours for the last decade and having worked closely with their leadership team as part of our preestablished partnership, it is clear that Starr is the right company to embark with on this landmark relationship. There were many aspects of Starr that aligned with our organization, including their century-plus history, significant New York presence, worldwide reach, and unparalleled commitment to the community. My father was also well-acquainted with [Chairman and CEO] Mr. Greenberg, whose devotion to philanthropy I deeply respect.”

The patch will debut on July 21 when the Yankees host the Kansas City Royals. 

Yankees Jersey Patch a Sign of the Times

Sports teams around the globe have had advertising on their jerseys for years. The first English Premier League team to sell space on its jersey was Coventry City in 1980. However, the BBC refused to televise teams that had kit sponsors. A scheduled broadcast the next season between Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion was actually canceled because the teams refused to change their jerseys.

The resistance to jersey sponsors was widespread initially, and quite controversial throughout the early 1980s. But by 1987, every team in the EPL had a sponsor. The most lucrative current recipient is Manchester City, which receives £68 million annually from Etihad Airways.

The NBA was the first of the four major U.S. professional sports leagues to sell jersey patches, beginning in 2017. Now, 26 of the 30 teams in the league have current jersey sponsors, and the other four previously had a patch and are looking for a new sponsor.

In the NHL, the Washington Capitals were the first team to announce a jersey patch partner, and now 12 other teams have followed suit. In baseball the Yankees are also the 13th different team to embrace a jersey sponsor. 

The first baseball team to sell the sleeve patches was the San Diego Padres, getting $10 million from Motorola. Consider that the Padres get just $3 million for the naming rights to Petco Park.

NFL stadiums bring in the most extra income, with the SoFi Stadium naming rights deal worth more than $31 million annually. The most expensive stadium in the New York area is MetLife Stadium, but it only draws in $17 million. So the Yankees sleeve deal, at $25 million, is quite lucrative.

The backlash on social media was swift. Of all the teams in American sports, no one talks about its history more than the Yankees. So to put an advertisement on their famous pinstripes feels sacrilegious to many Yankees and baseball fans in general.

But with time will likely come acceptance, and in time, if all 30 MLB teams have sold space on their jersey sleeves, today’s controversy will mostly be a thing of the past.