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Jazz team will wear ‘Five for the Fight’ patch for partnership

Posted at 7:04 PM, Feb 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-13 21:06:28-05

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Jazz announced Monday afternoon they would join four other NBA teams that have announced this season a partnership with a brand.

Provo-based metrics and data company, Qualtrics, announced they will join forces with the Jazz - a deal that will cost Qualtrics over 10-million dollars over 3 years.

However, it's a move Jazz Owner Gail Miller worried about.

“I know when I first heard they were going to put a patch on the jersey, I thought they are just prostituting it," Miller said of the NBA's announcement to allow teams to collaborate with companies. "but when it has a good cause, that changes the whole identity of it."

Instead of putting the Qualtrics logo on the jersey, Smith announced they would place a patch reading "Five for the Fight."

“I love the idea that we are going to be sitting for a jump ball and wearing a patch that’s saying 'hey we are here to help eradicate cancer from this earth,'” Smith said.

The slogan "Five for the Fight" originated after Smith's father was diagnosed with cancer years ago.

"I couldn't believe how helpless I felt," Smith said. "I wanted to be able to do something."

Smith's campaign encourages people to write the name of someone on their hands. The name is from someone who is either currently battling or someone who's a cancer survivor. Then, photos of the hands are posted online along with a donation.

"We need 10 million people to donate $5 dollars," Smith said.

Qualtrics and the Jazz hope to combine efforts to raise $50 million through the partnership over the next 5 years.

“I don’t know what the patch is going to do, and reality is, I don’t care," Smith said. "I believe that if you build on principles, you’ll be just fine.”