Courtesy of: NFL MARKET SHARE When A TeamLoses The Super Bowl, What Happens To Its Printed Gear? Both teams competing in the Super Bowl need to have championship products printed and ready to go when the final whistle blows. But if a loss is the outcome, the products become unsellable—and are then repurposed for a charitable intent. The instant that the Super Bowl ends, demand pours in for branded merchandise bearing the name of the reigning champions. When the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals in February, the NFL Shop and the Los Angeles Rams Official Store already had thousands of printed tees, hoodies, caps, jerseys, face masks and other items set for sale—but so did The Bengals Shop. With gear at the ready for both contenders, what happens to the losing team’s would-be champion products? With thousands of products unsellable, there’s only one best use for the items, and that’s to donate them to those in need. Good360, an Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit, assists with just this purpose, and has been responsible for shipping out the losing team’s gear after the Super Bowl as well as the NFC and AFC Championship Games and the World Series since 2015. After the games, Good360 connects with partners across the U.S. to determine how much product is left over, and then ships these products domestically to other nonprofit partners. The shipment is then combined with other donations and sent overseas to areas in great need. This year, Shari Rudolph, Good360’s CMO, told The L.A. Times that Cincinnati Bengals championship products would be sent to countries in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America and directly distributed to those receiving them. To ensure items serve their intended purpose, Good360 follows a series of protocols to ensure that items are distributed as donations and are not bought and sold on the novelty market. It’s too soon to tell how much apparel will be distributed from this year’s losing team, but over the years, it’s been substantial. After the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers back in Super Bowl 50, for example, 30,000 units, including t-shirts, towels and hats, were donated through Good360. | APRIL 2022 | 69 THINK
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