Ads Will Appear On Detroit Pistons' Jerseys

METRO DETROIT, MI — It was only a matter of time before one of the four major sports leagues started splashing advertisements on their jerseys. It’s commonplace in other parts of the world, after all. Our own Detroit Pistons have joined nine other NBA teams in putting small advertisements on their uniforms in a Wednesday announcement.

The NBA's Board of Governors approved advertisements on jerseys in April 2016. The Pistons’ deal is with Troy-based Flagstar Bank, which will also get advertising space in the new Little Caesars Arena and on Pistons television and radio broadcasts, according to a Detroit News report. Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Increasing advertising revenue has been on the plates of NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB for years now. Teams began selling naming rights to their stadiums about a decade ago and now nearly every sports venue is affiliated with one business or another.

Besides Little Caesars Arena, other major Detroit teams play in Comerica Park (Tigers), and Ford Field (Lions). Both the Pistons and Red Wings will play at the LCA. The advertising move by the Pistons didn’t come as a shock to fans, but some were still a little disappointed.

“The first mistake: having the giant Nike and Flagstar Bank logos on the front of the jerseys,” wrote fan Warren Hartman on a Pistons Facebook post. “The second one: having the DP logo on the bottom of the shorts instead of the main logo. And where's the alternates?”

Alexander DeWitt simply wrote: “#BanUniAds.”

Photo by Gregory Shamus / Staff / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images