Basketball, with the National Basketball Association as its ‘poster boy’, is among the top six favorite sports of Americans. Around 6 percent of sports fans surveyed by Harris Poll in the U.S. early this year claimed that basketball has been their favored sport since 1985. With a huge following, the NBA recognizes the potential of its famous athletes to boost advertising for the organization.

Thus, during the Christmas Day games in 2013, NBA players sported a revamped jersey design that would heighten the association’s marketing efforts. Ben Golliver reports, in a November 14, 2013 article in Sports Illustrated:

“The NBA and Adidas unveiled Thursday the short sleeve jerseys that will be worn during this year’s Christmas Day quintuple-header. The solid-color “BIG Logo” jersey designs feature an over-sized team logo on the front; the player’s number has been moved from the chest to the left sleeve. “Holiday-inspired” warm-ups and shirts will accompany the jerseys.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the NBA and Adidas are continuing to plug away at the sleeved jersey concept, much to the dismay of traditionalists, who prefer a tank top look. Their reasoning boils down to a belief that a shirt-style uniform has a wider marketing appeal for fans.”

Large companies and businesses, especially those supporting sports teams, can learn from the NBA. The league understands that a spot on a shirt will bring in huge revenues. Enterprises that want to be associated with major sports like basketball, football or baseball would normally vie for that spot, making this innovative idea of T-shirt advertising effective and beneficial to both parties.

Company owners and managers who also want to leverage the potential of shirts as an advertising medium can get custom company shirts for their employees from corporate apparel designers like Corporate Shirts Direct. Creatively designed custom shirts not only provide free advertising but also a comfortable corporate attire that employees can wear anywhere.

Business owners who distribute shirts to their clients may experience the immediate benefit of brand retention, as constant exposure to the logo gradually etches the company symbol on the client’s subconscious. Letting employees and partners wear company shirts with a logo likewise fosters solidarity among them. This creates a sense of oneness and familiarity, as well as positive interaction.

When the NBA decided to turn its athletes’ jerseys into advertising materials, they’ve stumbled on a latent gold mine. Other businesses and leagues can use the same strategy by engaging the services of custom shirt suppliers, such as Corporate Shirts Direct, to design polo shirts, dress shirts, jackets, caps and other merchandise for advertising purposes.

(Source: NBA unveils sleeved Adidas jerseys for Christmas Day games, Sports Illustrated, November 14, 2013)