This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Picture a Utah sports team that has an international following, attracts a fan base at every road game, and doesn't call LaVell Edwards Stadium home.
Introducing Real Salt Lake - now brought to you by XanGo, maker of the first mangosteen juice supplement and the first sponsor to get its name on the jersey fronts of a major U.S. professional sports franchise.
The sponsorship agreement, to be announced today at XanGo's Salt Lake City convention, will give the Lehi company widespread exposure and provide Utah's fledgling soccer franchise a reported $1 million per year for at least three years. It will also yield a ready-made fan base wherever the team goes: XanGo has 500,000 distributors in 16 countries.
"Look at the list of cities with Major League Soccer franchises - Dallas, L.A., Toronto, Washington, D.C., Chicago - and they are all good markets for XanGo," said Gordon Morton, XanGo's chief marketing officer. "So there is this pride factor that kicks in every time a distributor clicks on the news at night and sees the XanGo logo right there on the field."
So maybe they'll be cheering for the logo more than the team. Still, XanGo and RSL are juiced about the deal.
XanGo wasted no time pitching a partnership last month after Major League Soccer loosened its rules for jersey advertising. Until then, MLS uniform advertising was limited to small logos representing league-wide sponsors on the back of shirts and sleeves.
"They were on us right from the beginning and we welcomed it," said RSL President Dave Checketts. "They're a young company with high aspirations, just like us. Plus, XanGo is about health and fitness and well-being and soccer stands for all of that."
Although European soccer teams have long allowed upfront jersey promotions - Real Madrid is synonymous with Siemens - U.S. franchises have been loathe to do so for fear of backlash.
Aside from NASCAR, no major American sports league permits prominent advertising on team jerseys, though the practice has long been accepted in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
XanGo's Morton said there may be some initial resistance from sports "purists," but predicted most soccer fans wouldn't be bothered.
Paul Lukas is an ESPN columnist whose blog, http://www.uniwatchblog.com tracks the "obsessive study of athletic aesthetics." Lukas agreed that there will be less backlash than if the deal involved Major League Baseball or the NBA. Given that RSL has volunteered to take the first hit, other MSL franchises soon will follow suit, he predicted.
That, said Lukas, is a shame.
Europeans deride American culture for its consumerism, yet major professional teams have kept their uniforms almost commercial free until now, he said.
"You can sell a kidney, pimp out your sister, or pawn precious family heirlooms," Lukas said. "But just because there's a buyer doesn't mean you should sell."
Sports franchises are civic institutions, just like a city. And civic institutions should not be for sale, he said.
"If [sport teams] don't want to be civic institutions, they should build their own stadiums," he added.
Lukas worries the precedent set by RSL could make in-your-face marketing less offensive to fans.
A few years ago, Major League Baseball considered selling sponsorships on jersey sleeves, and MLB and the National Football League already allows Reebok and Majestic to display their logos on team uniforms.
National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern conceded last year that the league would "consider changing our policies" on uniform sponsors, according to the Wall Street Journal. "The reason: In an era of soaring player salaries and sagging TV ratings, teams and leagues are under increasing pressure to generate ancillary income from merchandise, stadium amenities and local media deals," the Journal said.
Checketts, who also owns the St. Louis Blues NHL team, said front-jersey sponsorship makes sense for soccer. But don't expect to see the Home Depot Dodgers anytime soon.
"In soccer, the clock never stops. There are no time-outs for advertising. So the front of your jersey becomes a billboard," Checketts said. "That's why this is going to happen in soccer and not in other sports."
XanGo's multiyear deal includes signage and promotional opportunities at the team's current venue, Rice-Eccles Stadium, as well as the team's new pitch in Sandy, slated to open July 4, 2008. And select adidas/RSL training and off-field gear will promote the XanGo/RSL partnership.
Each year, RSL also will feature a XanGo Cup matchup with an international competitor, building on the success of company-backed contest with Real Madrid at Rice-Eccles Stadium in August. Billed as the biggest international sports event to hit Salt Lake since the 2002 Olympics, the soccer match drew more than 45,000 fans and 250,000 television viewers, and lent legitimacy to the fledgling RSL franchise.
Likewise, teaming up with a major league franchise will boost the visibility of XanGo, a fast-growing company that has a reputation for supporting community causes.
"We have pride in our city," said XanGo's Morton. This is our home turf."
And starting in April 2007, RSL's turf goes global.