In the News: Superbowl – what happens to the merchandise from the losing team?

Just seconds after Kansas City beat Philadelphia Sunday night, fans could score merch proudly naming the Chiefs the new Super Bowl champions. But the same would have been true if the Eagles had won.

That’s because the NFL is prepared to sell hats, T-shirts and hoodies for either team, no matter who wins. But what happens with all that clothing with the Eagles’ logo?

The NFL works with nonprofit Good360 to keep the pre-made, unused apparel out of the landfill. The organization collects the clothing items and ships them to “vetted nonprofit partners” in undisclosed locations in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Good360 said.

“But you definitely won’t see it on anyone in America,” wrote Shari Rudolph, the nonprofit’s chief marketing and development officer.

The donation will include merchandise from the Super Bowl losers, as well as that of teams that lost the AFC and NFC Championships, the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers.

Good360 works to make sure the merchandise doesn’t go to waste – or end up surfacing on eBay. “The NFL has strict controls to ensure that the general public will never see it,” said Rudolph.

“Good360 will work closely with international NGOs to ensure that the apparel goes directly into the hands of the right communities—and not some place where someone might be able to profit from it,” Rudolph continued. “We also take pains to avoid sending the apparel to a location where a flood of donated clothing could disrupt the local economy.”

The amount of unused apparel to be donated amounts to a “few thousand items” each year, according to Rudolph.

To avoid wasting resources, the losing team’s merchandise first goes to a central Good360 warehouse. When there are enough donations to fill a shipping container, it will be shipped overseas.

Credits to The Hill