NHL board of governors approves jersey ads for 2022-23 season, according to reports
The National Hockey League will become the latest league to feature advertisements on player jerseys after the league's board of governors unanimously approved the change for the 2022-23 season.
Clubs can begin negotiating with potential partners, according to a memo obtained by Sportico and confirmed by ESPN.
The ads must fit a rectangle 3 inches by 3.5 inches, making them slightly larger than the patches that the NBA added to its jerseys in 2017.
According to ESPN, the league surveyed its teams and the majority were in favor of stitching ads onto jerseys before the board of governors formally approved the policy.
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Last season, the league appred a sponsor decal on player helmets, a move designed to prevent teams from having to give refunds during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jersey ads have been featured on players across the globe, though the trend is more recent for the major North American leagues. In addition to the NBA, the WNBA and Major League Soccer allow it.
Despite a ratings decline and the pandemic, the NBA generated roughly $150 million in revenue through sponsored jersey patches, according to CNBC.