2008 "World Champion Patriots" Clothing Coming to Latin America

In any championship game (World Series, Super Bowl, NBA Title, etc.), it has long been a practice of American professional sports to print shirts and hats of BOTH teams, so that when the game is over, the victor can wear their "world champion" paraphernalia. The "world champion" shirts of the loser are then sent abroad.

For what it's worth, this year, the 200+ "World Champion New England Patriots" that would have been used right after the game in the event of a Patriots win have ended up in Nicaragua. According to the article, millions of other shirts and items promoting the Pats' victory are to be shipped to Nicaragua, Romania, and elsewhere in the coming weeks.

I used to be conflicted by this. I still feel a little that printing excess clothing to never be used seemed to me a great example of American wastefulness. Still, the fact that the shirts and hats are sent to the poor in places like Africa and Latin America still end up helping the poor in what seems to be a genuinely charitable act on the part of the clothing companies is positive, I think. It's just great to see the excess actually being put to really good use.

And I still keep alive my long-harbored and impossible hope that I would someday see a "1997 World Champion Cleveland Indians" t-shirt somewhere.