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The World Series is in full swing, and fans have all kinds of burning questions: will the Yankee bats wake up? What happens when the Phillies have to rely on their bullpen? And what becomes of the losing team’s pre-printed championship t-shirts? We can’t predict what will happen on the field, but Matt Soniak looked into the t-shirt question.
After a big game in any sport, from a league championship to the World Series, Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, etc., people are going to be clamoring for commemorative merchandise. So it would make sense to have two sets printed up—declaring each team the winner.
The major sports leagues all produce official hats and shirts for the players and staff of each team in championship games—usually about 300 items per team. Manufacturers and retailers must produce enough product to meet fan demands. Based on the strong sales after the Chicago Bears’ 2007 NFC Championship win, Sports Authority printed more than 15,000 shirts proclaiming a Bears Super Bowl victory before the game even started. And then the Colts beat the Bears, 29-17.
That’s a lot of misprinted merch. Fortunately, there’s World Vision.
The international Christian humanitarian aid group works with Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA to collect misprinted merchandise and distribute it to people living in impoverished nations.
(MLB used to require the destruction of shirts and hats proclaiming the wrong champions, but two years ago they began donating their postseason apparel).
The merchandise doesn’t go to waste, people living in poverty receive new, clean clothes, and the clothing makers recoup some of their losses—they get tax credits for the charitable donations. Why don’t the clothes go to needy families in the United States? Overseas donation is part of the agreement between World Vision and the leagues. The farther away the clothing is, the less likely it is to offend a losing player (or heartbroken Buffalo Bills fan).
Update (February 7, 2010): According to USA Today, the humanitarian organization World Vision will send the Super Bowl XLIV loser’s apparel to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.
This question was asked by my girlfriend and fellow blogger Erica during a recent Phillies game. If you have questions you’d like to see answered on mentalfloss.com, feel free ask them if you’re ever watching baseball at my house. Alternately, you can email me at flossymatt AT gmail DOT com, or contact me on Twitter.
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Comments (18)
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This reminds me of the beets and cremed corn we received when we were young and poor. C’mon people, spring for just one can of green beans – and give a child a shirt with nothing on it in the Right Size!
posted by Diana on 10-29-2009 at 2:59 pm
I don’t know what Major League Soccer does with theirs usually, but I actually own a t-shirt for the losing side of the MLS Cup.
posted by Julia on 10-29-2009 at 3:04 pm
I have a friend who grew up in South Africa, and for years he thought the Bills must be some amazing team for winning so many Super Bowls in a row!
posted by Erin on 10-29-2009 at 3:23 pm
I’ve actually wondered about that for years. Thanks for answering it.
posted by Turi on 10-29-2009 at 3:26 pm
I, also, have wondered this!
Glad to know they are no longer destroying the merchandise. I’d like to get my hands on one of those Bears Super Bowl shirts though.
posted by KayTee on 10-29-2009 at 3:41 pm
A friend of mine snagged me a New York Giants Super Bowl XXXV Champions hat back in 2001, the year the Giants were annihilated by the Ravens. Couldn’t really wear that one around town, but it was displayed in my room for years.
posted by Jason English on 10-29-2009 at 3:53 pm
I am glad that the clothes are distributed through World Vision. They are a wonderful charity!
For those of you who only know them through their ads on Mental_Floss, the charge $30-$35 ($5 more for kids with AIDS) / month to sponsor a child in the third world. They educate, feed, and give them medical help. We have “adopted” two children from World Vision, both born on the same day as my two sons.
It has been a blessing for my family to partner with World Vision, and you should consider donating, you will be glad you did.
posted by Witty Nickname on 10-29-2009 at 4:20 pm
Diana:
My father grew up poor as dirt and anytime there would be a food-drive the man would go out of his way to provide either pretty lavish (for a donation) meals or edible canned foods beyond the usual crap found in the donation box. S
And he was a lifelong Philadelphian.
Which makes me wonder where all the Yankee merch is gonna wind up.
Go Phils!!!!
posted by Yorbaline on 10-29-2009 at 4:26 pm
There was a documentary a few years back shot in one of the eastern European countries (Romania?)in which homeless children could be seen wearing Buffalo Bills championship shirts.
A quick search shows that the Patriots 19-0 shirts were sent to Nicaragua.
posted by jeff p on 10-29-2009 at 4:30 pm
I saw this first hand in Tanzania a few years back. I saw a kid with a T-Shirt that said Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl XXXIX Champions! I was thinking I’m pretty sure the Patriots won then it hit me. Good to see this kind of stuff put to good use. I may have a photo in my Flickr set but I’m to lazy to look through them all http://www.flickr.com/photos/blakehelms/sets/72157602454816172/
posted by Blake Helms on 10-29-2009 at 4:35 pm
My roommate’s aunt and uncle went to the Superbowl with the Seahawks and Steelers, and after the hawks lost, when they went out asking the local shops for any hawks merchandise, the employees looked around and offered a “Ummm… We have these shirts for $5″.
He now has a Seahawks Superbowl Champions shirt.
At least we can dream, right?
posted by sarah on 10-29-2009 at 5:06 pm
I have always wondered what happened to that merch. Thanks for answering this for us.
I would love to get my hands on the Pat 19-0 shirt, despite the fact that it depresses me to see it.
Friend of mine 2 days after the Pats loss to the Giants strolled into my office with this t-shirt — “18 Wins, 1 GIANT Loss” I almost lost it.
I can laugh at that today but at the time i was less than enthusiastic to see that shirt
posted by Izzi on 10-29-2009 at 5:26 pm
They aren’t given to needy people in the US because they would go up on eBay in about ten minutes.
posted by Miss Cellania on 10-30-2009 at 3:50 pm
This reminds me of mountains of ketchup being donated to food banks. The value of these clothes better be claimed at close to nothing, because this is a pretty inefficient waste of tax revenue.
posted by Michaelw on 10-31-2009 at 5:23 pm
i remember somebody i went to school with his dad owned a merchandise production company and they made about 10k England Euro 2008 flags and banners for cars and houses etc and hats and glasses etc (not one that said we won it but just that we were there) on the fact that it was inconceivable that we would not qualify. unfortunately we didn’t, and he had a whole warehouse of stuff he couldn’t sell.
on the plus side, the super markets had the same problem with quantities of beer, which meant we got cheap beer all summer.
posted by ollie on 11-1-2009 at 12:38 pm
I wrote about this same topic 3 years ago.
http://pointlessobservations.wordpress.com/2006/03/14/what-about-the-other-teams-hats/
posted by ed968 on 11-1-2009 at 2:36 pm
Erin- that’s hilarious! And Sarah- wish I would’ve gotten that!
It’s great that they are going to a good cause though. I actually just did a blog post on this as well (www.teamschwag.com)
posted by TeamSchwag on 11-5-2009 at 9:48 am
One problem with this is that it undercuts the local textile industry. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/03/business/trade-theory-vs-used-clothes-in-africa.html?pagewanted=all
posted by Larry-bob on 2-7-2010 at 11:38 pm