Orioles announce jersey patch deal with lucrative Baltimore brand

As the relentless commercialization of once sacred MLB uniforms and helmets continues, the Baltimore Orioles have signed a marquee sponsorship agreement with locally based global asset manager, T. Rowe Price.

Patches will first appear on their jerseys Tuesday night at home against the Atlanta Braves.

Founded by Thomas Rowe Price Jr. at 10 Light Street in 1937, independent money manager T. Rowe Price has grown to become the No. 537 ranked company on the Fortune 1000 list of America’s largest companies, with total assets under management of $1.48 trillion as of April 30, 2024. They have over $6 million in annual revenues and had 7,868 employees as of March this year. Now headquartered at 100 East Pratt Street, they will open a new corporate headquarters at Harbor Point in late 2024.

"T. Rowe Price has called Baltimore home since our founding. We are deeply committed to the City — as is the Orioles organization," said Rob Sharps, Chief Executive Officer and President of T. Rowe Price in the press release announcing the sponsorship. "We are very excited to invest in our hometown team and our community, and we believe this partnership will help us attract more clients in the years to come."

Orioles owner David Rubenstein continued, stating, "The future of the Baltimore Orioles and the City of Baltimore is bright, We are delighted to welcome T. Rowe Price to Birdland at such an eventful time on and off the field. Our organizations share a dedication to hard work, innovation, professionalism, and integrity, and we have committed our long-term futures to this city. We look forward to a long, successful partnership as we work to bring the World Series trophy back to Baltimore."

They’ll become the first company to have its brand placed on the Orioles’ uniforms, and the partnership coincides with the new ownership group at Camden Yards, as well as a new global initiative by T. Rowe Price to raise brand awareness highlighting its standing as one of the world's premier active asset managers. They’re now the exclusive investment and wealth management sponsor of the baseball club.

The T. Rowe Price Foundation is one of the largest corporate philanthropies in Baltimore, making more than $170 million worth of community investments into the city. The hype video for the partnership is here:

This will surely be a topic of much controversy among fans, with purists decrying the patches and others appreciating two pillars in the community aligning their interests in trying to positively impact the resurgent Birdland community and the city of Baltimore.

Other AL East peers have sold jersey space to financial and assurance firm advertisers as well, with the Yankees featuring a patch from Starr Insurance Companies, the Blue Jays wearing a patch from TD Bank, and the Red Sox featuring patches from MassMutual.