Source: NFL
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 on Sunday, 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, anAlexandria, 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. An L.A. Times story from last week details the full process.
After the games, Good360 connects with partners across the U.S. to determine how much product is leftover, 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 will 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 protocolsto 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.