New York Yankees $20,000,000 deal for corporate patch comes under fire from Barstool's Eric Hubbs - "Sacrilegious. Disgusting"
The New York Yankees pinstripe jersey is one of the most recognizable and admired around the globe. The uniform that was once associated with World Series titles and some of the game's greats, will now be associated with insurance sales.
The club announced the partnership with Starr Insurance this week. The deal is reportedly worth in excess of $20 million per year and is set to run through 2031. Part of the agreement will see the Yankees add a patch on their home and away jersey with the company logo.
In a recent article on Barstool Sports, Yankees blogger Eric Hubbs didn't hold back. He was extremely critical of the decision to stain the famous Yankees jersey with a corporate logo:
"Sacrilegious. Disgusting... Yankees swallowing their pride and welcoming in advertising patches on their jerseys"
Hubbs also called out Hal Steinbrenner for the move, claiming his father George Steinbrenner was more focused on championships than money.
The Yankees Pathetically Bend The Knee To Capitalism And Add A Disgusting Insurance Patch To Their Jersey barstoolsports.com/blog/3473692/t… https://t.co/akxm165AEu
"The Yankees Pathetically Bend The Knee To Capitalism And Add A Disgusting Insurance Patch To Their Jersey https://barstoolsports.com" - Eric Hubbs
The club released a short video and photos of the new-look jerseys on their social media accounts.
The move has not been well received by certain sections of the fanbase with many fans venting their frustrations online.
Sponsorship logos on team uniforms have been used in other sports as a way for creating additional revenue for the club. It is common in soccer leagues around the globe.
The New York Yankees become the fourth MLB team to add a sponsored patch on their jerseys
New York is not the first team to add a jersey patch. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Boston Red Sox have all beaten them to it.
The New York Yankees are proud to welcome Starr Insurance as our new signature partner. @StarrCompanies https://t.co/urjpUp7dy5
"The New York Yankees are proud to welcome Starr Insurance as our new signature partner. @StarrCompanies" - New York Yankees
The additional $20 million in income is significant and will increase the Yankees' yearly revenue by over 3 percent. The Yankees' total payroll for 2023 is approximately $279 million.
The patch seems to be a new trend in the MLB and we can expect other organizations to follow suit in the near future.