The geniuses in the NBA sparked some debate recently when they said placing ads on uniforms may not be that far down the line. Sounds like David Stern and the NBA owners are getting ready to sell out.

There isnít much to an NBA jersey, and what there is of the jersey has the team logo, playerís name and number on it. Where do the owners want to put the ads? The only possible place would be the shorts.

Itís a good thing the shorts have a little more material than they did in the 1970s, otherwise there would be no room for any ads.
With the shorts as the best option for ad space, I wonder what weíll be seeing on Shaqís derriere. Iím sure there are some out there hoping for Pampers or to buy ad space on the back side of some teamís shorts.

Then again, if Budweiser bought ad space on the belly area of the jersey, the announcers could joke about the players ìbeer bellies.î
At the same time, what do we call the teams then?

Looking at NASCAR, fans donít identify cars by their numbers and drivers anymore. Itís the number 20, Tony Stewert, Home Depot., Coca-Cola, Madagascar, Chevrolet.

Would we call the Timberwolves the Minnesota Timberwolves, or would they be the Minnesota, Target, Rainbow Foods, 3M, Timberwolves?

Itís not like using NBA players for ad space is something new. Earlier this season, Detroit Pistons guard Richard Hamilton earned some extra cash when Goodyear paid him to have his cornrows designed to look like the companyís Assurance Triple Tread tire.
I would have preferred the Aqua Tread design myself, figuring it would channel the sweat away.

Minor league sports sell ads on their jerseys. The American Hockey League allows its teams to sell ad space, and most teams have followed. The Chicago Wolves rotate from Jewel-Osco grocery stores to Clark Oil in the space most teams place commemorative patches.

European hockey has gone overboard. The players have soccer style collars just so more ads can be placed on the player. Some teams even have ads on their helmets that are affixed by velcro so they can be changed between periods. Japanese baseball is the same way.

Think about what it will be like to buy a team jersey if they allow ads. You buy a jersey one week, the next week the team gets a new sponsor, making the newly purchased jersey a throwback.

Teams could work with their sponsors who advertise on the uniforms and have special give-away nights. The teams could give away replica advertisement patches just like the ones on the game jerseys. The give away patch could velcro onto a blank jersey, allowing the fan to change them when a new sponsor comes along.

I can understand how the money hungry NBA owners might want to find more ways to make a few more million, but they need to have some respect for the game and its fans who are animatedly speaking up against placing ads on uniforms.

Think if baseball placed ads on uniforms. I would love to see Rafael Palmeiro and his Orioles teammates with Viagra ads on their uniforms, or maybe a Mitsubishi Motors ad on the Yankees uniform.

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