The Philadelphia 76ers are arguably the perfect choice for a company looking to test the waters by being the first to advertise on an NBA jersey. The team has been awful for the last few seasons, so most fans’ opinion of the Sixers can’t sink any lower. And those fans who still have some reserve venom in the tank now have a new reason to scream at the team.

Of course, there is no small degree of irony in StubHub — a service associated with getting tickets to sold-out sporting events — sponsoring a team that won a total of 47 games over the last three seasons. Even if all those wins had been this season, the Sixers would have barely eked into the playoffs.

“We are an organization that takes pride in breaking new ground and being innovative,” says Scott O’Neil, CEO of the Sixers (presumably he tells his family he’s something more respected, like a debt collector or an IRS auditor). “We are fortunate to have found a partner with whom we share similar values.”

Again: 47 games in three seasons. I live in Philadelphia. The only time you’d need StubHub to attend a Sixers game in recent years was when they were repeatedly pushing toward record-breaking loss streaks.

Mismatched advertiser aside, the Sixers/StubHub deal is the first of what will likely be universal adoption by all NBA teams for next season.

The ad itself is inoffensive and smallish enough to be ignored. If it’s successful, expect to see another. Then expect to see it repeated in the NHL, then probably the NFL, then the MLB… then we’ll be the past the point of no return. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

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