The Monetization Rabbit Hole

Monetization, sponsors, and whether the NBA is entertainment or competition.

It’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving is behind us, shopping lists are being written as we speak, and Christmas is less than a month away. Your neighbors are probably putting up their big Home Depot inflatables of Santa wearing sunglasses or something, which is only a precursor to the bombardment of Christmas-themed items that are about to be burned into your retinas over the next 30 days or so.

Coming into a season that is becoming increasingly characterized by just how much money corporations can squeeze out of our wallets, you’re probably wondering to yourself, “Why doesn’t the NBA slap more logos on every piece of clothing known to man?” Boy oh boy, your wish is Adam Silver’s command — the Hawks’ jerseys are now adorned with an enormous logo of The Y (yeah, that’s the YMCA) over the left chest — that’s what you wanted for Christmas, right?

I kid, but really, it begs the question: How much more can the NBA actually monetize everything in existence? The answer is, a lot more.