What colors are the Utah Jazz going to prioritize moving forward?
That question was asked at a news conference involving team owner Ryan Smith and CEO Danny Ainge this week, as the team begins its celebration of the franchise’s 50th season.
“We’ve done a lot of research ourselves ... and we got some pretty incredible data from our fan base,” Smith said. “And I know it’s hard not to just look at certain folks on social media, but probably the biggest data point is the consumption of what our fans actually are consuming from a branding standpoint. And to be direct, the yellow and black is doing really well from a consumption standpoint. Probably better than anything we’ve ever really had.”
“Consumption,” Smith later clarified, is a mix of merchandise sales and what the organization sees around the Delta Center.
“One of the things I’ve learned in my career is opinions are great, but actions are louder,” he added. “People love purple. We love purple. We all love purple. But there’s a reason why purple teams are incorporating black because naturally it doesn’t — it’s not consumed the same amount.”
Smith addressed the up-and-down opinion of fans on the team’s jerseys this year, as well as jerseys around the NBA.
“I love the passion around jerseys, but we have six jerseys this year, especially with the in-season tournament,” he said. “We’re going to have that many jerseys next year. There’s always going to be a jersey you don’t like, that’s just the business we’re in. It’s Nike. Hopefully there’s a jersey you do like.”
Despite the sales, Smith stopped short of committing to the team’s current black, white, and yellow look moving forward.
“Purple’s always part of who we are. How that evolution goes, I don’t think we know yet. I think we’re looking at the data. We’re going to new purple courts this year. And we’re just working through this as a brand,” Smith said.
“I think the one thing that we do have is the note: that’s incredibly powerful and watching that be activated around our arena around Utah, around the city, around clothing on license plates, and stickers, it’s pretty cool. We have a unique thing. And I think we’re rolling with it.”
It was at that point Ainge chimed in, noting that his favorite hat in attendance was a purple one with a white Jazz note logo, worn by a Jazz staffer.
“When you look at our players who come on the court, you see what they’re wearing — I mean, they’re not in the purple, they’re in the black and yellow every day. It’s not because they don’t have purple,” Smith pointed out. “So it’s just different. Everyone has a preference.”
Smith said the team is still collecting data on those preferences. But he noted the team does have restrictions from the NBA on what it’s allowed to do with its colors.
“I like where we’re going,” he added. “We just have to be a little patient.”
Follow @andyblarsen