What happens to the pre-printed Super Bowl champion gear for the team that loses?

[underpants]

What Happens To The Losing Team's Pre-Printed Super Bowl Championship Shirts? No, They Aren't Destroyed

https://www.bustle.com/p/what-happens-to-the-losing-teams-pre-printed-super-bowl-championship-shirts-no-they-arent-destroyed-8120349

According to a report from Mental Floss, the losing team's merch is donated to those in need overseas. That makes total sense. After all, what these shirts and hats have printed on them is of little to no consequence to people who are desperate for clean articles of clothing.

Good360, a charity organization located in Alexandria, Virginia, has taken the lead on the repurposing the unusable merch. The company's mission is to make giving easy — and they are clearly succeeding it at.

Good360 has been handling the distribution of excess NFL merch since 2015. After the big game, the group is told how much excess product is at its disposal. Then, Good360 decides where, how, and to whom to disperse it.

Previously, an international humanitarian group called World Vision was responsible for the handling of the loser's merch. The company would send the items to those living in poor regions or areas that experienced horrific natural disasters. Mental Floss reports that the Pittsburgh Steelers' losing gear from the 2011 Super Bowl was parsed out to people in Zambia, Armenia, Nicaragua, and Romania.

[exboyfil]

1. I read an article a while ago

that talked about the potential damage of cast off clothing to developing countries because it prevents them from establishing basic textile capability and the jobs associated with it.

I am not sure I necessarily believe it. I just wanted to share it as a topic of discussion.

Here is one article.

https://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/too-much-of-a-good-thing-why-african-countries-want-to-ban-donated-clothes

While arguments that secondhand clothes can be unsanitary are relatively unfounded, the primary argument is that the low cost of imported hand-me-down clothes is preventing the production of local textiles. This is to the detriment of the economy of both the communities involved and the region as a whole. The goal of the ban, say the promoters, is to promote the purchase of locally produced textiles. Some have also made it a moral issue; asking how a nation can have dignity while wearing the rejected clothing of another.

Here is a more general article on the impact of donations to the 3rd world.

https://businessconnectworld.com/2017/06/07/donating-to-poor-makes-them-more-poor/

"Let’s say an individual had a thriving t-shirt business. He makes his livelihood and supports his family by making and selling t-shirts. What happens when a million shirts are suddenly dropped into his country? No one will buy from him. Why would they? They can get shirts for free. Suddenly the t-shirt economy is destroyed and the business goes under. What happens when the donated t-shirts wear out? There is no local business to fill the void and another donation is needed; dependency is created. All this because of the well-intentioned efforts of a donor."

[rzemanfl]

2. I think they could help the local economy by selling the stuff on eBay.

This is just an aside, not a criticism of the valid arguments in your post.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Not against you, but that sounds like right wing "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" bullshit

Again, not arguing with you for positing them. Just my two denarii

[stopbush]

4. So, if a profit can't be turned, the philanthropy is evil?

The big laugh in those articles is the thought that somehow an extremely LIMITED repurposing of clothing would destroy the demand for clothing in that region. Just how many tee shirts and hats are we talking about for the loser of today’s Super Bowl? One hundred? Two hundred? There’s 50 players on the team, plus coaches, staff etc. They make enough shirts to cover the personnel who are involved in the game that day.

[exboyfil]

5. I didn't say it was evil

I just presented some other thoughts. Also the amount could be quite a bit more given sales to fans. It would be a trade off between how quickly they can be produced vs. the cost of product which cannot be sold in the traditional market. I don't know the answer to that question, but I remember reading the article in context of this fan produced merchandise being sent overseas for sale because it was of the losing team.

It also brings up the wider question of industrialized nation's cast offs, and how they impact 3rd world countries.