10 options for the Mavericks’ jersey sponsorship

What’s in a sponsor? Money, obviously. A name, sure. A color scheme, of course. But also a personality. Something that might rub off on the team or its fans.

We’ve seen teams take a couple different approaches to the jersey sponsorship opportunity that begins this season, with Sacramento opting for a local company and Boston signing with major conglomerate General Electric.

What about Dallas? Mark Cuban has kept things pretty close to the vest, so I’m here to wildly speculate on my personal top ten potential Mavericks jersey sponsors for Mavs fans. I’ll be rating each one on three different metrics on a scale of 1 to 5: Dallas-ness, fit (including color scheme), and potential monetary opportunity.

10. Southwest Airlines

Dallas-ness: 5

Fit: 1

Money: 3

Southwest’s headquarters at Love Field is close to downtown as well as being an important part of the city’s history. Southwest is an integral part of Dallas, and their company culture represents well the way that citizens of the city treat each other: with kindness and respect. Unfortunately for Southwest and its fans, the American Airlines Center is where the Mavs play, so this one is likely out of the question based on the arena deal.

9. Texas Instruments

Dallas-ness: 3

Fit: 1

Money: 4

Texas Instruments (TI) has its place in everyone’s heart as the high school graphing calculator of choice, but has also been one of the largest employers in the greater Dallas area for many years. With a red and white logo imposing an “i” on an image of the state, the colors clash horribly with the Mavs scheme. TI is also not well known for its influence on sports, so even with its deep pockets it falls low on my list.

8. GameStop

Dallas-ness: 2

Fit: 3

Money: 4

GameStop seems like a nice fit on the face, especially with the new NBA 2k eSports league starting up. The fit from a marketing perspective is strong in that respect, but we again see a nasty clash between the GameStop logo and the Mavs color scheme. Many probably also wouldn’t know that GameStop is headquartered in the city, as there is not really any distinctly Dallas quality to the company.

7. Exxon Mobil Corp

Dallas-ness: 3

Fit: 1

Money: 5

Exxon has the deepest pockets on this list by a significant margin. The fit, however, just isn’t there. Again with red colors more suited for the neighboring Rockets, and representing an industry that, while large, is more associated with the gulf anyway. While oil is about as Texas as major industries come, it’s not specifically “Dallas.”

6. Whataburger

Dallas-ness: 4

Fit: 2

Money: 2

Whataburger is the state’s most famous burger chain and one of the best exports Texas has to offer. They are all over Dallas, and it is one of the first things I seek out whenever I leave and return to the state. That said, the colors do not work at all with the team’s scheme, and the company already sponsors some fun inter-quarter break games on the court at home games. It seems unlikely that the company, which doesn’t have a wide national footprint, would gain as much from the jersey patch as the Mavericks should demand in payment.

5. Nieman Marcus

Dallas-ness: 3

Fit: 3

Money: 5

The retail store headquartered in Dallas opens the top five and has been a representative part of a distinct Dallas fashion throughout the years. They certainly have the money, and a simple logo that would be easy to fit on the jersey inoffensively. These positives are great, but there’s not necessarily an obvious connection between basketball and their brand, nor a specifically Dallas mission in the company to create the perfect sponsor.

4. Dr. Pepper Snapple Group

Dallas-ness: 5

Fit: 3

Money: 3

Dr. Pepper is quintessentially Texas, and already sponsors the Frisco Roughriders to the north. They are a minor sponsor at games already, and the full Dr. Pepper Snapple Group logo is rather inoffensive and easy to slide onto a jersey. The Dr. Pepper logo would stand out more, but might be so beloved that it makes no matter. Not the deepest pocket in our group, the company could certainly find the value in a national audience to see returns on their investment.

3. AT&T

Dallas-ness: 3

Fit: 4

Money: 5

Another deep pocket and fellow stadium sponsor out in Arlington, AT&T is no stranger to the power of Dallas sports advertising. Another local firm, they definitely have motivation for reaching a national audience and a nice fit on the colors of their logo that would be both noticeable but not intrusive on the Mavericks’ jerseys. Definitely a top contender.

2. American Airlines

Dallas-ness: 4

Fit: 4

Money: 5

Another Dallas staple for decades, American Airlines already has the naming rights to the arena and a strong presence at DFW Airport. They have the cash, and obviously fit well with a national audience. There’s already a relationship, and they could even sponsor multiple teams as they battle for supremacy in the skies.

1. The Dallas Cowboys Football Club

Dallas-ness: 5

Fit: 4

Money: 5

The surprise number one here is the Dallas Cowboys. Nothing is more Dallas than America’s Team, and the color scheme fits perfectly with the Mavericks, especially on the white jerseys. The blue star is synonymous with Dallas in many ways, and the Jones family certainly has the cash for this type of investment, especially with their new office development off of their practice facility and one of the nicest stadiums in the world. Sports fans are the perfect target for a sports team’s advertising, and there is already a great camaraderie between the two most successful Dallas sports franchises, as evidenced by Tony Romo’s day as a Maverick this past spring alongside other events.

While the NBA may have a little bit to say about letting a competitor advertise on their jerseys, I think all the other benefits and the fact that the NFL’s premier events tend not to compete with the NBA’s premier events would overcome that concern in this marriage.