Jersey revenue is collected in terms of license fees and this is then shared between the league and players. In other words Reebok has paid the NFL for the right to produce jerseys. It's this fee that goes into a pool of revenue that is shared with players, akin to TV revenue.

I don't believe there is a particular per unit bonus such that Polamalu would make more or less depending on how many of his jerseys Reebok moves.

Interestingly enough though, there is a penalty to any player who decides to change his number or name after a seasonal deadline set by Reebok. It's part of the licensing deal to protect the manufacturer and (presumably) their distributors from holding on to dead product. A player who still wants to make the jersey switch must effectively buy the back catalog of jerseys from the supplier. For example, when Chad Johnson changed his name to Chad Ochocinco in August 2008, he balked at having to pay Reebok's penalty for switching jerseys and waited until the 2009 season before he could wear official "Ochocinco" jerseys.

Comment • 16 Nov, 2011