The San Diego Padres are pitching Motorola phones to their fans, becoming the first MLB team to strike a deal to feature ads on its uniforms.
Padres players will wear Motorola logo patches on their sleeves and will be the first team to reach such a deal after the league announced it would allow teams to sell patch ads on uniforms and sticker ads on helmets. The Padres will have the ads placed on the right sleeves of left-handed hitters and pitchers and vice versa for right-handed players, allowing for a more prominent display on TV.
“We are thrilled to partner with a quintessential and innovative brand like Motorola to bring cutting-edge technology, design, and performance to Petco Park,” said Padres CEO Erik Greupner in a statement. “Motorola’s iconic logo on our jersey is a perfect alignment with our Padres brand, and we look forward to teaming up to provide a great experience for our fans.”
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It is unknown how much Motorola paid the Padres for the ad placement.
Motorola will serve as the team’s smartphone partner and play a key role in the team’s community service outreach.
The deal was made possible by the MLB amending a section of its rules that prohibited uniforms from including designs related to commercial ads, an amendment announced in a March 10 memo.
“A club may license to third-party commercial sponsors the right to place their name, logos and/or marks on the uniform, provided that the patch or design is approved in advance by the Office of the Commissioner after consultation with the players’ association,” the proposal reads.
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Uniform ad deals are set to begin in 2023, with the MLB still considering whether to begin sticker helmet ads during the 2022 postseason.
