Speaking of billboards, have you seen the one with the new MLS Timbers jersey?
It looks a little too much like an Alaskan Airlines jersey to me, but if there’s one company that should have prominent advertising placement it’s the single best airline operating in the United States (complimentary Northwest wine and beer on Horizon flights, holla!). The official explanation of the Adidas design: “The all-new Timbers uniform features both traditional and modern design to symbolize both the history and the exciting future of the club. It also has special tributes to the city and its fans such as a rising sun representing the undying support of the Timbers Army.” How dramatic. I’m sure this historic garment is already at the top of many a Timbers’ fan holiday wish list, but here’s a tip: If you buy it at the official team store (519 SW 6th) or the kiosks in Lloyd Center/Pioneer Place, you can get the name/number customization free. $70 for replica, $110 for authentic. And really if you’re already paying $70, what’s $40 more…
What makes it authentic? IS it the stench of all the money Merritt Paulson is making off of wannabe-fútbol fans? Or is it the hand stitching by Third World children?
When I root, I root for tiny cups of local booze.
Anybody else think it’s funny that a fascist era Japanese flag is constantly being repurposed to show how multicultural we all are?
That is about what you can expect to pay for most authentic jerseys. I’d probably buy that if I didn’t already own too many soccer jerseys.
Yes and already have.
No. Not $70 either. If I see a copy of a knockoff of the replica somewhere for $10, I might bite. Sure, it won’t survive a washing, but I’ll just never wash it.
Yeah, that rising sun motif makes no sense. How about a bridge to “demonstrate that soccer bridges languages, religions, nationalities” or some other slightly more relevant pap?
I’m waiting for the $35 knock-off from Taiwan on ebay.
it may be a while…
I suggest that we go to City Hall and demand public subsidies for the purchase of this amazing shirt.
not sold on the open-heart surgery scar stitching up the center, BTW.
So glad that snarky Mercury commenters have quickly rushed to fill the Matt Davis-sized hole on this website of pissing on the Timbers.
(Although I will admit, as an ardent timbers fan, $110 is pretty steep).
I think the real question is, would Alaska Airlines pay me $110 to wear it?
I have nothing against the Timbers, and I don’t know how large Matt Davis’s hole is. Other than that your criticism is right on.
Oh, how the other major league sports fans would cringe if their NFL, NBA, NHL or MLB uniforms suddenly became giant billboards.
This is truly the NASCAR of jerseys.
As opposed to actual NASCAR ads? Not even close. Oh, how about the HOURS of commercial advertising during NFL games? I’ll gladly take a single logo on a uniform over a McDonald’s or Zales commercial every 30 seconds.
Yeah, how dare they have the name of a sponsor on the front of their shirts. I mean, you would never see that anywhere else. Except of course in every other country in the sodding world.
Seriously, some of you people need to look outside our own borders once in a while.
Chunty your ignorance is showing…..
You do realize that 99% of the world soccer/football jerseys have sponsors on them right? Why is this? Well because the game is uninterrupted except for halftime for 90 minutes.
So which would you rather have – 4.5 hour American Football game which 3 of those hours are non stop commercials or a sponsor on a jersey and 1.5 hours with zero commercials?
Sad really how stupid the people in this thread are.
@Stu: Is the name of the sponsor usually five times larger than the team logo? I’m not a sports guy, so I really don’t know. Seems a little strange to me. Just change the name of the team to the Portland Alaska Airlines Timbers and be done with it.
Yes, Todd, they are the most prominent thing on the jersey world-wide. Why? Precisely because of what Finnegan mentioned. There are no commercial breaks every couple of minutes. You get an entire game free from interruption by Wal-Mart. The “oh, I didn’t know we were called the Portland Alaska Airlines” line is tired and right out of O Live commenters’ playbooks.
Not directed at you, Todd, but I get a kick out of the hypocritical soccer basher going on about a sponsor on the front of the jersey. Jesus, is there a more commercialized sporting culture in the world than the United States? Chunty actually tried to use NASCAR in his argument. LOLz of the day. Your ignorance is showing.
@DemonJuice: Do you really, truly think I’m good enough to move up to Oregon Live??!? Oh, man!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf4eu5y0418
Finegan, you failed to notice how I compared MLS jerseys to other American pro sports jerseys. I wasn’t comparing it to the rest of the world. And why should I? It’s a shit league that only a handful of overgrown man-children care about. And I’m sure as shit that it couldn’t survive without millions upon millions of ugly, in-your-face jersey sponsorships.
Oh, your precious, precious corporate team and its precious corporate sponsors! If the mean people keep picking on it, it’ll go away and you’ll have nothing to live for.
I’m sad for you.
Cunty cracks me up.