The Philadelphia Phillies have reached a deal with Independence Blue Cross — stylized as IBX — to be their uniform sponsor, according to Terry Lefton of Sports Business Journal. Per the report, the IBX jersey sleeve patch will make its on-field debut Wednesday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park against the New York Yankees.
Beginning in 2023, teams were able to sell a jersey advertising patch. 21 teams already have patches, so the Phillies took their time making a decision. Ultimately, they went with a company that probably would have been one of the odds-on favorites at the start of the process.
While Wawa and Campbell’s Soup might have been even better picks simply because they are red, Independence Blue Cross’ logo is blue and white, so it likely won’t clash with the five uniforms that the Phillies currently have in their rotation.
Because Wednesday is a day game, the IBX patch will presumably make its debut on the cream alternates, before being seen extensively on the road grays during the upcoming 10-game West Coast trip. There isn’t yet an image of what the patch looks like on the uniforms.
For the previous teams with uniform patches, right-handed hitters and pitchers have the advertisement on their left sleeve. Left-handed hitters and pitchers have the patch on their right sleeve. This increases the exposure of the ad because it’s facing the camera most frequently.
In 2023, the Phillies removed the numbers that had previously been on the left sleeves of their home pinstripes and road gray uniforms in preparation for what ended up being the IBX ad.
