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. Clearance Shoes Australia . 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. Buy Shoes Australia . - After a back-and-forth battle throughout the season, Alex Guenette has earned the 2013 rookie of the year award for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 by just one point over Ryley Seibert. Cheap Shoes Australia Free Shipping . A-Rod is also disqualified from any post-season play. So at the tender age of 38, he will miss all of next season. As a result of missing the coming season, hes also out $25 million (which coincidentally is my hourly rate). https://www.shoesaustraliaonline.com/ . -- Theres something about playing on Orlandos floor lately that seems to bring out the best in the Dallas Mavericks.MINSK, Belarus -- When Alex Burrows was on the ice in pain following a knee-on-knee hit from Italys Joachim Ramoser, it didnt look good. When he needed to lean on Brayden Schenn and Nathan MacKinnon to get off the ice, it was all too easy to fear the worst. A year after Team Canada lost Eric Staal to a sprained medial collateral ligament at the world hockey championship, it was something of a relief that Burrows did not suffer a knee injury. In announcing a one-game suspension for Ramoser, the International Ice Hockey Federation revealed the Canadian medical staffs diagnosis of a charley horse. Coach Dave Tippett said Saturday that Burrows was a game-time decision for Sundays showdown with Sweden. "A little better today," Tippett said after an optional practice at Chizhovka-Arena. "(Burrows) took steps forwards overnight, and doctors and trainers will work on him today and hopefully we can get him close tomorrow." Asked if he was confident the Vancouver Canucks forward would be able to play, Tippett responded: "Well see. Lets see where it is tomorrow, but certainly better than last night." Burrows did not return after the scary collision with 56 seconds left in the first period that Tippett and Italian coach Tom Pokel agreed was not intentional. The IIHF disciplinary panel agreed but added that Ramoser "endangered the safety of Burrows." "He did initiate contact illegally with his knee and must take responsibility for causing the injury to Burrows," the IIHF said in a statement. Told of Ramosers suspension Saturday, Tippett called it a tough play. "Its a knee-to-knee kind of hit," he said. "I dont think the kid meant to do it. Just when you miss by a little bit, those things happen." Burrows did not skate Saturday, but he was far from alone. Only four skaters -- deffenceman Morgan Rielly and forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Mark Scheifele and Sean Monahan -- took the ice along with goaltenders Ben Scrivens, James Reimer and Justin Peters. Shoes Australia From China. It was not clear which goaltender would start against Sweden in Canadas second-to-last preliminary game that very likely will determine first place in Group A. Reimer has a 2.27 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in two starts, while Scrivens has a 1.00 and .963. Sweden is Canadas biggest test before the quarter-final. Two players are back from the silver-medal-winning Sochi Olympic team -- forwards Gustav Nyquist of the Detroit Red Wings and Jimmie Ericsson. Goaltender Anders Nilsson of the New York Islanders has been phenomenal for Sweden, which has gotten seven points from former NHL forward Joakim Lindstrom. "Obviously were expecting a high-paced game, and theyve got some good, skilled players," said Cody Hodgson, who leads Canada with seven points and is tied for the tournament lead with six goals. Hodgson is thriving in part because hes healthy, and while some teammates are banged-up, Tippett thinks theyll be OK. Defenceman Braydon Coburn lost a few teeth in Fridays victory over Italy, and Troy Brouwer and Kevin Bieska also had mouth injuries. Defenceman Jason Garrison, who missed the game against Italy with illness, was doing better Saturday, according to Tippett. The flu bug has gone through some other teams in Minsk, but beyond Garrison it hadnt done the same to Canada. "Knock on wood it seems to be all right today," Tippett said. Even more fortunate for Canada is that Burrows seems to be OK. "It was a tough-looking hit, but hes been around a while," Tippett said. "He knows when he thinks he can get up and moving, and it was good to see him today a lot better than last night." ' ' '