Major League Baseball's playoffs are getting underway on Tuesday afternoon with the commencement of the best-of-three Wild Card Series. (You can view the full postseason schedule here.) When the players take the field to kick off October, you'll notice one major difference between playoff baseball and regular season baseball: the addition of an advertisement placed on both sides of each and every batting helmet.
Last month, MLB announced a multi-year partnership with STRAUSS, a German apparel company, that will see the company's name and signature ostrich logo adorn batting helmets for the duration of the postseason. The ads measure five inches wide and nearly an inch tall and are on both sides of each player's helmet. MLB's agreement with STRAUSS runs through 2027. The company will have ads on helmets for all MLB postseason games and regular-season games played in Europe, and, starting next year, all minor-league games (regular and postseason).
"We are proud that STRAUSS selected Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball as the marketing platform to introduce its brand to the U.S. market," Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business & Media said in a press release announcing the sponsorship. "The fact that our two organizations have so much in common -- generational legacy, teamwork, dedication to a craft, celebrating a job well done -- is a key to what made this partnership so compelling and we're looking forward to working together for years to come."
MLB's willingness to include ads to its batting helmets should come as little surprise. On-uniform advertising has long been popular in international sports leagues, and American leagues have started to catch up as a means of tapping into an additional revenue stream. MLB itself has permitted teams to wear individual advertisement patches on their uniforms since Opening Day 2023. According to SportsLogo's Chris Creamer, 23 of the 30 teams had an advertisement patch as of Aug. 1, 2024.
It's yet to be reported how much money MLB will receive from STRAUSS as part of their partnership. The Athletic reported in August that the league average on advertising patches is around $7 to 8 million. The New York Yankees, for their part, are reportedly banking at least $25 million a year as part of their deal with Starr Insurance. The Yankees' deal suggests that there's serious money to be made from such arrangements.
MLB helmets have featured advertisements during recent international games, including the Seoul Series, Mexico City Series and London Series this year. Those ads, however, were only featured on one side of the helmets, facing away from the pitcher and center-field camera.
MLB announced several other items of uniform-related news earlier this week. Beginning next summer, every player will wear their own team's uniform during the All-Star Game instead of a league-specific uniform with team patches. That's a reversion to how MLB handled the All-Star Game prior to the 2021 season.
Additionally, Nike and Fanatics will be returning to their old uniform approach for the 2026 season. Their attempts this season at introducing a new, lighter uniform were met with criticism from players, fans, and media alike. Two particular lightning rods were the smaller nameplates and pants that appeared more transparent. As MLB Players Association chief Tony Clark said in spring: "Universal concern is the pant."