What is the Toronto Blue Jays jersey patch? Sponsorship and design details explored

On July 14, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that they will become the 14th MLB team to feature on-jersey advertising. Now with nearly half of all the league's teams taking on such a sponsor, it's just another way that the world of baseball has been shifting before our eyes.

The 3x3 patch will feature the Toronto Dominion Bank - better known as TD - logo on the upper left sleeve. Home fans will get their first look at the design addition when their team takes the field at Rogers Centre against the Arizona Diamondbacks on July 14.

"Toronto Blue Jays introduce TD jersey patch for rest of season." - Toronto Sun

Last December, Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro stated that the team was looking for a new jersey sponsor. Canada's only MLB team had not previously featured any sort of advertising on their jerseys.

MLB is the latest North American major sports league to enact jersey patches. The NBA began doing so in 2017, with the NHL joining in just last year. In April, the San Diego Padres became the first-ever MLB team to feature a jersey patch, when they partnered with Motorola.

The move by the Toronto Blue Jays comes just days after their divisional rivals, the New York Yankees, announced that they would be featuring Starr Insurance patches. The league's most storied team, several Yankees fans were put out by the fact that they would interfere with the Bronx Bombers' classic pinstripe color scheme.

"New York Yankees announce new “Starr Insursnce” patches that will be worn on both home and away jerseys" - Calico Joe

Although on-jersey ads have been common in European football for decades, the North American sports fan is seemingly having a harder time accepting them. With the latest move by the Toronto Blue Jays, it appears as though it will not be long before they no longer have a choice in the matter.

Toronto Blue Jays might tip the balance of on-jersey ads

By becoming the 14th team in the major leagues to put an ad on the sleeve, the Blue Jays may be on the vanguard of shifting the patches from an exception to a rule.

While the argument about visible aesthetics and the like can be made forever, the patches are likely here to stay. Fans might not like them, but for better or worse, that is out of their control, for now.