NFL Jerseys with Sponsors Logos: Is This the NFL or the EPL?

Notice anything odd about NFL practice uniforms this summer?

Gillette, AT&T, Atlantic Health...

Having been involved in the sport of cycling for over 20 years, I have seen many teams come and go due to the whim of a title sponsor. It did not matter how successful the team was on the road, or how many times they won the Tour de France, it was all about sponsorship, and when the sponsor went away, so did the team.

Not that this will happen to our football teams, but this is one of the major differences between the big American sports teams and the traditional European sports of football (soccer) and pro cycling. The European teams wear the sponsors' logos on their uniforms and, like NASCAR, sponsorships drive the sport.

Imagine a day in the near future where you go to Cowboys Stadium to see the Miller Lite Dallas Cowboys versus the Detroit Lions presented by Ford Motors. Hard to wrap your head around, isn't it?

Crazy as it may seem now, that day may be coming, and it all started with a simple 3.5" x 4.5" patch on the practice jerseys of your favorite team.

Pandora's Box has been opened...

Dallas Cowboys: Miller Lite

How are you going to feel a year later when the Miller Lite Dallas Cowboys become the Bimbo Bakeries Dallas Cowboys, and your $150 Tony Romo jersey doesn't look like the one on the field that season?

Craziness, right? Starting to feel like an English Premier League fan now?

Houston Texans: Xfinity

Fifteen years ago, the stadium-naming trend took off, and we went from Veterans Stadiums and Soldier Fields to GoDaddy.com Arenas and American Airlines Centers everywhere...how long until we see these patches grace the field on Sunday?

San Francisco 49ers: Visa

The NFL is a tradition-rich league that has resisted the temptation of putting logos on uniforms, but that has changed, and now it is only a matter of how far it goes.

How long until we see GoDaddy.com on the Miami Dolphins game uniform?

Chicago Bears: University Health System

For the love of George Halas...the Chicago Bears too?

Pittsburgh Steelers: Pittsburgh Steel

There's no patch, but the helmet has carried the Pittsburgh Steel logo for decades.

New York Giants: Red Bull?

Will we see patches on game uniforms in the next couple of years? Probably not, but it will happen, and sooner rather than later.