Blue Jays jerseys will soon feature sponsor ads for the first time ever

Dec 7 2022, 4:00 pm

Coming soon to your Toronto Blue Jays uniform: a sponsored jersey patch.

The Blue Jays are “actively seeking” a partner to purchase the rights to sponsorship patches for the sleeve of their uniforms, according to team president Mark Shapiro.

Teams are able to add jersey sponsors in 2023 as part of Major League Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement, meaning a four-inch by four-inch ad can be featured on the team’s uniform next spring as another revenue stream for clubs.

ā€œI don’t have a good feel yet of where we’re going to be in that,ā€ Shapiro said, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. ā€œI’d say in the next two years we will have a jersey-patch partner.ā€

NHL jerseys began featuring patches this season, with the Toronto Maple Leafs partnering with the Dairy Farmers of Ontario for a subtle, yet hilarious, Milk ad. The addition of jersey ads came after the league already began using advertisements on helmets.

The NBA has featured sponsorship patches on their jerseys since the 2017-18 season. Toronto Raptors jerseys currently feature a partnership with Sun Life Financial.

ā€œWe’re looking for someone that epitomizes the word (partner),ā€ Shapiro said, according to Davidi. ā€œIs it a brand that is proud to identify with us and that we’re proud to identify with? Is it someone that we truly help, that we truly think we can impact their business and, in exchange for that, know that they’re going to help us impact our business?

“We’re looking for alignment in values, alignment in impact, as well. That could be expanding our partnership with an existing partner. Or it could be with a new partner.ā€

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