We've all heard that the NBA jersey will undergo a lot of changes next season. Nike will replace Adidas as the league's new gear sponsor, and the Nike logo will also be added to jerseys and shorts (previously the adidas logo was on the hem of the jersey and would not be exposed.) The short-sleeved jersey will also be gone. Most importantly, the league will allow teams to place advertiser logos in the top left corner of their jerseys.

The rollout of the jersey ad has been slow, but so far only five teams have announced their plans. The 76ers (ticketing site StubHub), Kings (almond brand Blue Diamond), Celtics (GE General Motors), Nets (software company Infor) and Jazz (internet research firm Qualtrics). In addition, while the Cavaliers have not yet announced an advertising sponsorship package, they are reportedly entering into a jersey advertising sponsorship deal with tire brand GoodYear.

At full March, the number of teams that have signed up for jersey advertising sponsorship deals has reached six, accounting for 20 percent of the league's total number of teams, which is enough to draw some preliminary conclusions about jersey advertising sponsorship programs.

First, the problem of shape and color

Many people's opinions on jersey advertising are: ugly! But bad is also relative, and some ads really don't look that scary. For example, a round logo is more suitable for the upper chest of a jersey than a square one, and if the advertiser is willing to make the team's jersey color the main color of the logo, rather than the usual logo color, the ad will not be as prominent.

The Celtics have done a great job of this, with the GE GM logo on their jerseys being rounded and also featuring the team's green and white color scheme.

The Celtics have done a great job of this, with the GE GM logo on their jerseys being rounded and also featuring the team's green and white color scheme.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Nets, whose square, red Infor logo stands out. Of course, from Infor's standpoint, this isn't a bad thing, but it's a disaster for those who value the aesthetics of the jersey and the integrity of the team's branding.

Second, the intention of cooperation between technology companies is significant

Second, the intention of cooperation between technology companies is significant

Just after the NBA announced its jersey advertising sponsorship program, many experts believed that the majority of advertisers (please don't call them sponsors) would be lifestyle brands. But that's not the case as it stands, instead, the first three advertisers – GE, Infor, and Qualtrics – are all high-tech companies. In addition, they all said that they will provide data analysis support to their respective NBA partners. As a result, jersey sponsorship programs are likely to lead to collaborations between league teams and tech companies, ushering in a new era of data analytics. But no one could have foreseen the impact until the project was announced.

3. The advertising content is not just the brand LOGO

The Utah Jazz had planned to have the Qualtrics logo printed on their jerseys, but just recently, Qualtrics launched a "Five Dollars Against Cancer" charity program to raise money for cancer patients. As a result, Qualtrics' proposal to use the logo on the jersey to promote the project was also recognized by the Jazz, so instead of putting the company's logo on the jersey, they supported Qualtrics' charitable project. I have to say it's a great idea.

In contrast, this innovation between the Jazz and advertisers also makes other jersey ads that take the traditional route seem a bit lo. Will other teams follow suit? We'll see.

Fourth, the NBA is addicted to playing with ads?

The jersey ad may be just the beginning, and at the beginning of the month, the league officially announced that the NBA Development League will officially change its name to the NBA Gatorade League, and while the name change of the Development League is not unprecedented, the change from the D-League to the Gatorade League sounds like a joke, but it is the truth.

Of course, this is just a development league, but for a top league like the NBA, would they really be willing to sell their jerseys for value to an advertiser? It's still hard to say. But looking back at English football, with the popularity of shirt advertising, the Premier League has finally had a long list of title sponsors. Can you say it's impossible to happen?

Fifth, keep a close eye on other alliances in the pipeline

Fifth, keep a close eye on other alliances in the pipeline

The launch of the NBA jersey advertising program has also spurred speculation about other top professional leagues. In an interview earlier this month, Major League Baseball CEO Rob Manfield said he was optimistic about the prospect of MLB introducing jersey advertising. (During his tenure, there have been collaborations including a ball cap with the Ne Era logo, socks with the Stance logo, and baseball pants with the Major League logo, and the Under Armour logo will be a chest ad for major league jerseys in 2020.) Therefore, it is not surprising that he has such an attitude.

Manfield is not alone in a similar situation. Asked at a press conference in January, NHL CEO Gary Bateman said he had no immediate plans to take the road, but he, like Manfield, was open to it.

Interestingly, it doesn't seem like the NFL is the only one considering the introduction of jersey advertising. Major League President Roger Goodale made it clear in 2012 that he was not interested in jersey advertising. Since then, he has rarely talked about similar topics either. Of course, 2012 is definitely an old era for sports, and no one can say if the NFL will think differently today