How a new uniform patch brings the Brooklyn Nets (likely) $8M-plus per year, marketing Motorola's Razr

Let's not forget that sports teams as "sports entertainment corporations" (to quote subsidy watchdog Bettina Damiani) and the arenas they own/operate, however much they seem to offer public access (like that "accidental town square," with corporate sponsorship), are business propositions.

Consider an angle I missed last year. One 10/14/20, CNBC published Despite ratings decline, NBA still sees a bright future for its $150 million patch sponsorship program, explaining that sponsored patches on jerseys generated some $150 million in revenue leaguewide, with some individual deals as much as $20 million per year--the the figures were expected to rise.

That's astounding, given that, for example, naming rights for Barclays Center are $10 million a year.

The article quoted some experts as suggesting sponsorship figures might decline, while a league official  expected a 30% boost. The key is participation on national TV--and the star-laden Brooklyn Nets presented an opportunity.

The article noted that the the Nets’ deal with software company Infor was valued at roughly $8 million per year, and BSE Global CEO John Abbamondi was optimistic about growth.

He called the patch “the closest brand alignment with our organization other than [arena] naming rights.” And while CNBC noted that the Nets' patches had low brand awareness, the low TV ratings, well, they were destined to improve.

Welcome Motorola

In a 12/10/20 press release, BROOKLYN NETS NAME MOTOROLA AS OFFICIAL JERSEY PATCH PARTNER, the team announced:

In addition to becoming the Nets official jersey patch partner, Motorola will have prominent placement on the lower abdomen area of the team’s practice jerseys, a first of-its-kind asset for NBA teams. Motorola will also have a branding presence on the Nets home court and the opportunity to market the alliance internationally as part of the NBA’s International Team Marketing Program. Motorola will also serve as the Official Smartphone Partner of the Brooklyn Nets, with the intent of further raising the profile of the beloved razr - recently relaunched in a new sleek, foldable smartphone.

No dollar figure was announced, but NetsDaily suggested the Motorola deal "is likely to be much higher" than the previous one.

At minimum, the new opportunity for the "lower abdomen area of the team’s practice jerseys" adds advertising real estate. Note the screenshot above, from the video connected to the press release, shows the Motorola logo at the shoulder, opposite the Nike swoosh.

Separately, Nike is a league sponsor. As ESPN reported 6/10/15, Nike agreed to an 8-year partnership with the league beginning with the 2017-18 season, worth about $1 billion. 

(I'm not sure about the revenue sharing, but that works out to $125 billion a year, or more than $4 million per team.)

Social awareness

The Motorola press release also contained a by now requisite nod toward social awareness, again without specifics, a price tag, or estimate of charitable benefits:

The most unique aspect of the partnership will see Motorola and the Nets partner in the Brooklyn community to bring STEM educational programs to underserved youth and the donation of Motorola smartphones to support virtual learning for homeless students, who account for more than 100,000 of the students in the New York City Public School system. Additionally, Motorola executives will participate in an educational speaker series with a local organization to help encourage young students to consider and explore career opportunities within the STEM industry.