The Capitals debuted new practice jerseys at the start of training camp on Friday. Following the lead of other NHL, NFL and NBA teams, the Caps now have ads on the corner of their non-game threads. Washington announced this thrilling news in a tweet with multiple exclamation points.
New look on the #Caps practice jerseys this year debuting at #CapsCamp! @MedStarHealth patches! #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/WqmaBZjr4R
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 23, 2016
The sponsor is MedStar Health, a nonprofit corporation, whose services I’m intimately familiar with, that operates 10 hospitals in area including Georgetown University Hospital and Washington Hospital Center. The NHL recently put ads on game uniforms for the first time, placing the SAP logo on the shoulder of World Cup of Hockey jerseys. Many NHL teams have sported sponsors on their practice jerseys for several seasons already.
This continues a recent trend among the major North American professional sports. The NBA will have ads on their game jerseys beginning in the 2017-18 season, though NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman denied such a move is imminent in his league.
“Doing jersey advertising for the World Cup is not in the same universe as putting advertising on NHL sweaters,” Bettman told The Canadian Press. “I’ve always said, you’re going to have to drag us kicking and screaming. We won’t be first. Obviously the NBA went first. And it would take a huge incentive for us to even consider it.”
And they're off! 2016 #CapsCamp is official underway. #RockTheRed pic.twitter.com/DXYThNIRhd
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 23, 2016
