• USA Today, Wednesday, May 26, 2010 10:05 AM

The National Basketball Association has signed licensing deals with companies to put logos on everything from pepperoni pizza to gardening gloves to outdoor grills, Bruce Horovitz reports, in an effort to attract new fans, particularly women and teens. Food logos include an image that's placed on pizza after it has been baked that melts into the cheese, and a $34.99 toaster that burns golden brown team logos onto bread.

The NBA says global merchandise sales will hit $3 billion this year, a slight uptick, but Ira Mayer, publisher of The Licensing Letter, estimates that retail sales of licensed NBA merchandise fell 17% last year in the U.S. and Canada.

Beyond the bucks, however, the branded merchandise is expected to create buzz. "As key licensing categories have matured, it's an ongoing goal of the NBA to expand the brand into places that may attract new customers," says Sal LaRocca, head of global merchandising. That includes food because "a lot of people watching NBA games on TV tend to eat."

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