Neophyte NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, speaking at the IMG World Congress of Sports (which is apparently a real thing), was asked if he envisions sponsorships appearing on player jerseys in the next five years. Jason Williams Kings Jersey . Without hesitation he responded, "Definitely." This, of course, is not revelatory, as there has been smoke coming from this fire pit for years. But the foregone conclusion of his answer, making a foray where none of the other major North American team sports have gone, still felt surprising. He would later add fuel to the fire stating, "Its inevitable. Its such an enormous opportunity for our sponsors to connect with us. I think the marketplace is asking for it." There is something sitting uneasily in those words. First, an admission. I get it. This is the way of the world and not just in athletics. Corporate advertisements are now an integral part of bringing sports and entertainment to the masses. Ads subsidize a ton of beloved stuff from music festivals to television series to this website. I am thankful for the ad models that bring value to the advertisers and consumers alike. Frankly, at this point if an event doesnt have corporate sponsors it feels amateur to my eye. But my beef is that the NBAs latest revenue tool doesnt arrive with even the most basic pretence of being a value add for the consumer, and at a time when the league is massively, historically profitable. It isnt even a plea from the league to fans to understand that novel revenue tools are needed to sustain stability or whatever. Its just that "the marketplace is asking for it." (Quick note before further maligning the Commish. He did admit yesterday that maybe the whole t-shirt-as-jersey experiment the NBA launched towards the end of last season isnt a lock to pan out. Phew.) The precedent of sponsored jerseys has long been established in countless sports from international soccer to Nascar. (This is apparently a Liverpool FC jersey for kids though that wouldnt have been my first guess.) Even sibling leagues, the WNBA and NBA D-League, have encouraged and profited from jersey sponsorship for several years. Um, but when Commissioner Silver says "the marketplace is asking for it" he is hedging on what the marketplace actually is. Shouldnt the marketplace consider the biggest stakeholders and contributors in the hard-earned dollars-to-NBA equation (AKA the fans)? Numerous related tweets and blogs have erupted in the past few days concerned about the same distractions 1981-me dealt with. But despite a tendency to stand in solidarity, I find myself less than concerned. My focus is not so much aimed at the inevitable uniform developments, but more on predicting the next step. Where will the advertising stop? If the NBA allows the final frontier of their reach, the players clothes, to be monetized by sponsors, how much would it diminish their capacity to limit players from earning off their own skin? Players are already more or less free to cut private sponsorship deals in practically every segment of product or service. Wouldnt the league erode their own ethical (read: judicial) high ground that might have otherwise prevented a player from tattooing an ad on their neck or sleeving their arms with monthly specials? With the next collective bargaining session set for three years from now, it is altogether possible that the questions raised by these types of sponsorships will be debated for the first time. What is without question is that how to divvy up the new-found revenue from jersey ads will loom large. I dont know a ton about the inner-workings of the mind of agents, but I suspect they dig on money and material if HBOs Entourage has taught me anything. What is to keep those agents from speculating on the next set of potential revenue tools? This new territory is, of course, a way for neophyte commissioner, Adam Silver, to make his mark on the league and, more importantly, to get in the good graces of team owners and league sponsors. I do not have a problem with these tactics as they are baked into his job description. But when the final vestiges of the basic game have to share space with sponsors who subsidize it, and in a time when the NBA is flourishing, I havent heard a word on what we fans get out of this latest version of the marketplace, other than a personal expectation that whats to come would have blown 1981-mes head straight off. Gallays Poll #4 Where should the NBA draw the line on advertisements? a) A small patch on the jersey is no big deal. But thats it.b) I dont mind if they re-name the Raptors with pretty much any corporate identity. But thats it.c) With so many inked players, I have no problem if Birdman becomes Kentucky Fried Birdman. But thats it.d) The back of the jersey is the future of innovation as Metta World Artest demonstrated. Lebron Jameson Irish Whiskey would move merchandise. Marvin Bagley III Jersey .C. - Blair Jones scored the eventual winner in the third period as the Abbotsford Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Oil Barons 3-2 in American Hockey League action on Friday. Buddy Hield Jersey . Parnell will be out much longer if it turns out he needs surgery. But first, he will try resting for two weeks before beginning a throwing program that could last up to a month, general manager Sandy Alderson said. http://www.nbakingsonline.com/Authentic-Chris-Webber-Kings-Jersey/ . Bale has had a successful debut season in Spain, and Ancelotti appears ready to reward him with a starting role on Saturday. Ancelotti says "Gareth had some problems at the beginning (of the season) but when he found good physical condition he scored a lot of goals, he had a good impact on the team.PHILADELPHIA - After struggling through another start, Phillies right-hander A.J. Burnett said he might walk away from millions of dollars not to return in 2015. Hisashi Iwakuma struck out a season-high 11 batters in eight scoreless innings and Kyle Seager homered to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Burnett (6-14) lost his fifth straight decision and dropped to 0-6 with a 6.41 ERA in seven starts since the All-Star break. He allowed six hits with four walks and hit two batters in 7 2-3 innings. Burnett signed a one-year deal with a player option for next year in the off-season. After Tuesdays outing, he sounded as if he might decline the option. He would stand to make $10 million next season after making his 27th start on Tuesday. Asked if he would return to the Phillies in 2015, Burnett said, "Probably not. Well see." Control has been a problem all season for Burnett, who began the day leading the majors with 72 walks. He started poorly, with eight straight balls to open the game. "It took a while to get loose, much more than normal," Burnett said. The Mariners took advantage as both of those batters, Austin Jackson and Dustin Ackley, scored on RBIs by Robinson Cano and Logan Morrison. "He struggled out of the gate with early walks," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "He just couldnt find the strike zone. But then he settled down." His counterpart settled in right from the jump. Iwakuma (12-6) was masterful while allowing four hits and no walks. Since July 1, the right-hander is 7-2 with a 1.63 ERA, 65 strikeouts and four walks in 72 innings over 10 starts. "He was outstanding," Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He commanded all of his pitches. He was in and out, up and down. Did a tremendous job for us." The Phillies, who have scored three runs or less 65 times this season, got just one batter to second base against Iwakuma. They have lost six of their last eight. The Mariners needed three pitchers in the ninth to preserve the victory. The last of the trio, Fernando Rodney, came on with two outs and the tying run at the platee and struck out Cody Asche to record his 36th save in 39 opportunities. Sacramento Kings Jerseys. "We have a strong belief in our bullpen, so I was able to watch the TV very calmly," Iwakuma said through an interpreter. Asked if he was tempted to let Iwakuma come out for the ninth, McClendon said, "No, no." The Phillies avoided their 14th shutout when Chase Utley scored on Yoervis Medinas wild pitch. Domonic Brown followed with an RBI double to pull Philadelphia within 5-2 before Medina hit Carlos Ruiz to put runners on first and second for Asche. Mike Zunino was 0-for-17 before getting two hits and driving in two runs. The Mariners, who scored two runs in the first, have won 11 of their last 14. Seager began the sixth with a homer, his 19th, to deep right on a 3-0 pitch. Zunino hit a two-run single in the eighth to chase Burnett and put Seattle in front 5-0. TRAINERS ROOM Mariners: RF Michael Saunders, who has been on the DL since July 11 with a strained left oblique, made his 10th rehab start Tuesday night for Triple-A Tacoma. Entering Tuesday, he was batting .258 at Tacoma. Phillies: OF John Mayberry Jr. played in his first rehab game with Triple-A Lehigh Valley at Pawtucket on Tuesday night. Mayberry has been on the DL since July 21 with left wrist inflammation. UP NEXT Mariners: LHP James Paxton (3-0, 2.20) makes his sixth start of the season when the teams wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday afternoon. The 25-year-old is unbeaten in nine career starts, with his latest victory last Friday at Detroit when he allowed one run on five hits in six innings. Paxton will be facing the Phillies for the first time. Phillies: LHP Cole Hamels (6-6, 2.44) will look for some better luck. He has a 1.71 ERA in his last three starts but is 0-1 over that stretch due to a lack of run support that has plagued him all season. REVERE HITLESS Philadelphias Ben Revere went without a hit for just the second time in his last nine games, going 0-for-4 with a rare strikeout. Revere entered Tuesday second in the NL in batting at .313 and leading the league in hardest to fan (one strikeout per 11.9 plate appearances). ' ' '