Ads on MLB jerseys are becoming more common. Teams will often have logos for companies on the sleeve of the leading shoulder for batters to bring some money in to the team and provide some exposure for the company at the same time.
And is there any bigger stage for exposure than the Fall Classic? The Diamondbacks, who have made an improbable World Series run, feature a patch for Avnet on the sleeves of their jerseys. Right-handed batters have it on their left shoulders while left-handed hitters have it on their right shoulders, whichever shoulder faces outward when a player is in the batter's box.
Arizona is not the only team to don these jersey patches. The Astros also featured an ad on their jerseys, with theirs being patches for Oxy.
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Here's what you need to know about Avnet and its partnership with the Diamondbacks.
What is Avnet?
Avnet describes itself in a press release announcing the partnership with the Diamondbacks as a "leading global technology distributor and solutions provider," that supports "customers at each stage of a product's lifecycle, from idea to design and from prototype to production." In other words, it is a distributor of components and services.
The company is based in Phoenix, and was founded in 1921 by Charles Avnet.
Avnet partnered with the Diamondbacks at the start of the 2023 season. The release said it is an exclusive partner of the Diamondbacks.
“It was natural for us to partner with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a home-grown team that is as dedicated to Arizona and its communities as we are.” Avnet CEO Phil Gallagher said in the release. “As a global company, we’re dedicated to serving the communities in which our employees live, work and play, and we are excited to support the team’s work on and off the field while collaborating to make a difference in our community.”
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When the 2023 season began, even the most optimistic Diamondback fans might not have expected Arizona to make it to the World Series, even after an improved 2022 campaign. But now that Arizona is playing on the national stage, Avnet has been reaping the benefits of getting its patch on national TV.
"I got to admit, I did not sign up and say ‘hey, let’s go to the World Series and it will be a win.' We just signed up because of values," Gallagher said, per Fox 10 Phoenix. "This has been the old saying, playing with house money. This is bonus money, because now, we're truly getting national exposure."
And the visibility of Avnet's patch has certainly made Gallagher and the company happy.
"I got to give credit to the D-backs. You can see that patch. You can't miss it," Gallagher said, per Fox 10 Phoenix.
Who do MLB teams wear sponsor patches on uniforms?
In 2022, Major League Baseball officially approved of a policy allowing teams to feature advertisements on jerseys starting in 2023.
Commissioner Rob Manfred explained it as a "reality of life in professional sports."
“That’s a revenue source that is significant enough that it is really impossible for the sport to ignore over the long haul. I think that’s the truth," Manfred said, according to the Associated Press.
There are 14 teams in the 2023 season that feature jersey patches:
| Team | Advertising Company |
| Diamondbacks | Avnet |
| Red Sox | MassMutual |
| Reds | Kroger |
| Astros | Oxy |
| Angels | FBM |
| Padres | Motorola |
| Yankees | Starr Insurance |
| Marlins | ADT |
| Cardinals | Stifel |
| Blue Jays | TD Canada |
| Tigers | Meijer |
| Guardians | Marathon |
| Braves | Quikrete |
| Mets | New York-Presbyterian Hospital |
