Clubs are increasingly selling jerseys without sponsors

UPDATE: Also in the 2023/24 season it will be possible to buy Inter's home jersey without the commercial sponsor patch. Despite the agreement with Paramount+ and the presence of the jersey with the mountain logo of the famous American production company in the middle in the Nerazzurri's online shop, the jersey will be offered in the plain version on the online Nike store, Inter's technical sponsor, with whom the club renewed the contract for another eight years just a few days ago. It is not known whether this choice was motivated by the delay in the agreement with Paramount+ or whether Nike instead wanted to diversify the product in relation to that sold by the Nerazzurri club. But in fact, fans can now choose the version of the new home jersey they prefer, with or without the sponsor in the middle.

In the past few days, much has been said about the choice of Inter Milan and AS Roma to remove the DigitalBits sponsorship from their shirts due to non-payment in 2023. The fans in the last period did not only appreciate the results and the two European finals that seem to be getting closer but also the new jerseys without sponsors. Inter did not replace the crypto-company while Roma chose to celebrate the city with the letters SPQR. The public sentiment for these 'new' jerseys must have been decisive since what makes it even more interesting is the fact that the two clubs have started to sell jerseys with or without sponsors online - for the Giallorossi, the version without is only for the home shirt. This is not the first time that a club has taken this route, so one wonders if the reason is only for the sponsorship contract, if it is a style choice designed for the fans, and if in the event other teams might take this route permanently. Moreover, it has become a good opportunity to continue selling shirts even at the end of the season, when sales are usually needed to empty warehouses.

It is easy to think that Inter and Roma do not want to sell jerseys with a sponsor who has not met their payments, at the same time models with DigitalBits on the chest continue to be sold on the site. At the same time, the jersey without a sponsor in the last period is associated with historical achievements for the two clubs. For the fans, the idea of being able to buy the shirt that will be worn in a hypothetical Champions League and Europa League final is something that would cement even more the achievement of a season that will have left important memories.

In addition to the results on the pitch, there is also a taste for shirts without sponsors that harks back to vintage football, where kits were just materials, color and layout, without those commercial spaces now present on the front, back, and sleeves of the shirts. The fetish for retro kits is evident, with clubs releasing nostalgia capsules or celebratory jerseys every season, so it cannot be ruled out that even Inter and Roma last wanted to give fans a more traditional version of their jerseys.

There is also a change taking place in the sponsorship landscape. In the Premier League, betting companies have been banned, while crypto companies are being questioned, most recently by Atletico Madrid. Is the old single brand on the shirt still the best form of sponsorship for clubs? In particular, does it make sense to print large logos on shirts that fans prefer cleaner and more traditional? These same logos also often do not dialogue with the creativity of the jerseys, on which brands are investing so much to get closer to the fans and give the football jersey more and more a stylish and cultural and not only a sporting meaning. 

The examples of blackout shirts, anniversary shirts, and the like, where the sponsor is omitted, portend a real change and set a precedent that is awakening a new way of thinking about the meaning of sponsorship and its execution. Previously (2019) amusing and impactful was Paddy Power's campaign for Huddersfield Town which proudly declared "proudly un-sponsor Huddersfield Town" because "we know our place and it is not on your shirt." The shirt of the English team in white and blue, without a sponsor on the chest was more beautiful, probably like those of Inter Milan, Roma, Atletico Madrid, and Nottingham Forest, there would be more to come.