Maple Leafs reveal first ever jersey sponsorship
This morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs revealed their first ever jersey sponsorship, along with the advertisement that will appear on the historic jersey for the 2022-23 season.
The sponsor is Ontario Dairy, an organization that represents dairy farmers in Ontario, and the advertisement appears in the form of a hilariously simple «Milk» patch on the right side of the chest.
The advertisement will appear in white on the home jerseys, and blue on the away jerseys. Despite many fans' complaints of ads appearing on jerseys, it's well integrated and isn't too distracting from the actual jersey. Initially, it's received more positive reactions compared to the Canadiens' advertisement, which features the distracting yellow stripes of the RBC logo.
On principle, it seems a little sad that one of the most historic jerseys in sport will now feature an advertisement. At the end of the day however, it's a new stream of revenue for the business of hockey, and the NHL has admittedly been behind other leagues in introducing jersey advertisements.
Something about the Leafs using a «Milk» patch just seems hilariously on-brand, though. The simplicity of the patch, the fact it only says Milk, and perhaps the previous partnership that featured Doug Gilmour. One thing's for sure, some original jokes about the Leafs may be written for the first time since 1967.
