Unfortunately, not all sports merchandise has the shelf-life of Katy Perry's new Super Bowl tattoo. In fact, after almost every Big Game manufacturers and retailers are left with an unbelievable amount of unusable T-shirts, hats, and other merchandise that declare the losing team the champs. For example, it's estimated that 100,000 pieces clothing were produced in anticipation of the Seattle Seahawks becoming the Super Bowl XLIX champions on Sunday night, many emblazoned with the phrase "Back2Back."
Back in the day, these items would have been destined for an incinerator, but in 1996 the NFL stopped destroying merch and instead now works with charities to distribute the items to countries in need. This year, the league is teaming with Good360, a non-profit that connects NFL products with charities.
"We selected Good360 because of the reach they have with hundreds of different charitable organizations, including World Vision, across the globe," Anna Isaacson, the NFL’s Vice President of Social Responsibility, told the Toronto Star via email. "That breadth appealed to us, and we’re looking forward to working with them."
There's no word yet on where this year's Super Bowl memorabilia will go, but developing nations, such as Zambia, Bosnia, Romania, Armenia, Nicaragua and El Salvador, have received goods in the past.
[via The Guardian]
