For the first time in the team’s 140-year history, the Giants will have a sponsor on their jersey.
Cruise, described as “driverless ridehail service” in a press release on the official MLB website, now has a patch with the company’s logo on the shoulder of each jersey. The partnership will last until 2025.
Cruise is a subsidiary of General Motors, has also been described as providing a robotaxi service.
The #SFGiants and Cruise. Together, driving our city towards a safer, more environmentally sustainable future.
Today, @Cruise becomes our first official jersey patch partner. pic.twitter.com/hQckJbCrOZ
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) August 3, 2023
As part of the partnership, hundreds of electric vehicle charging stations will be installed around Oracle Park.
San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler said he is a fan of the partnership.
“I think it’s really cool, and I think it was incorporated really well as it doesn’t stand out,” Kapler said. “And you know, Cruise is in San Francisco, a progressive and fantastic company with aspirations to make traffic safe. So it feels very natural.”
Cruise also issued a statement earlier Thursday morning.
“Our expanded partnership with the Giants demonstrates that commitment as we’ll develop hundreds of public electric vehicle chargers in the area,” Cruise VP of marketing Jeff Miller said in a written statement. “For our partner patch, we have collaborated closely with the Giants to create a patch that pays respect to the team, the Bay and the great game of baseball.”
Some residents and safety organizations have raised concerns about Cruise and other self-driving vehicles: The San Francisco County Transportation Authority sent a letter to state regulators in January citing nearly 100 incidents of Cruise robotaxis making sudden stops in the street.
Terms of the Giants’ deal were not disclosed, but most MLB jersey patch deals reportedly range from $5-$17 million per season. The Warriors reportedly receive about $20 million a year from their jersey sponsor deal with Rakuten, a cash-back shopping site. The company’s name has been on Warriors jerseys since 2017.
The Giants are the 14th of the 30 MLB teams to feature a sponsor patch, joining:Arizona DiamondbacksAtlanta BravesBoston Red SoxCincinnati RedsCleveland GuardiansDetroit TigersHouston AstrosLos Angeles AngelsMiami MarlinsNew York MetsNew York YankeesSan Diego PadresSt. Louis Cardinals
