Sports leagues donate losing teams’ apparel

The buzzer sounds.  Duke has just won its fourth national championship.  Elated players and coaches storm the court in celebration of their feat, and within seconds, each player on Duke’s roster has quickly donned a brand-new t-shirt and hat, both of which seem to have appeared out of thin air.

If the Blue Devils’ opponent, the Butler Bulldogs, had made that final shot, they would have had new t-shirts and hats that labeled their school as the 2010 National Champion.  No, these commemorative articles of clothing are not made by lightning-speed laser printing technology; instead, both teams’ apparel were made prior to game time.

The NCAA as well as the NBA and NFL all use this technique for merchandise before big games.

According to Vandana Balachandar, who is the NBA’s senior manager of apparel and accessory licensing, Adidas provides 720 hats and tees for their league’s finals, depending on the series’ standing, all of which are kept private until the final buzzer.  The clothes are then distributed to a variety of people including players, team staff and front office executives.

“Prior to the end of the game, we store the merchandise in large duffel bags in a secure, locked room behind the scenes,” Balachandar said.

But while the winning team celebrates in their clothing, what happens to the 720 hats and tees made for the losing team of the NBA Finals?

Although the losing teams’ articles of clothing are printed, they are never sold to the public; instead, they are donated.

“We donate the losing [team’s] merchandise through NBA Cares,” Balachandar said.  “Generally, we send the merchandise internationally during our Basketball Without Borders programs.”

The NCAA has a similar process.

“We partner with World Vision on the donation of the items so it typically depends on their area of designation,” said David Clendenin, the NCAA’s assistant director of corporate licensing.  “For example, we are in the process of donating some of this year’s items and we were told that their destination would more than likely be Central or Latin America.”

Similarly, the NBA works with their international organization through which they donate the apparel.

According to Balachandar, giving back to the global community is a significant part of the NBA’s outreach program, and this is a way to ensure that they will have made the most of the unused clothing.

“By donating the losing [team’s] merchandise, we know that the merchandise will be [given] to those who are less fortunate than us,” Balachandar said.

However, according to Balachandar, it is impossible for anyone to obtain or purchase these items, which are known as “hot market products,” in stores or online because the leagues do not want false merchandise in the marketplace.

According to Chris Inouye, the retail division manager of Aramark Sports and Entertainment for Reliant Stadium in Houston, in the NFL, the stadium’s merchandiser will typically purchase about 1,200 of each hat and 2,400 of each shirt so that fans can buy them at the end of the end of the game.

“Retailers throughout the nation also have the opportunity to buy the championship shirt for one or both teams in advance as well,” Inouye said.  “While this is not very common, it does happen in the markets for the teams who are participating. [For instance,] if the Ravens are in the Super Bowl, Dick’s and Modell’s would likely buy a small quantity so if they won they could begin selling them in their stores immediately.”

Inouye does acknowledge, however, that retailers put themselves at a risk as they do this. The NFL’s merchandiser, Reebok, gives financial incentives to stores in order to ensure that the losing team product is not sold to the public.  According to Inouye, this also makes it easier for the purchaser to buy the product for both teams because they know they will not lose as much money.

“It is risky to pre-purchase hats and shirts before the outcome of the game is decided, but it also gives you a competitive advantage over stores who did not pre-purchase,” Inouye said.

Next time the end of a championship game comes around and the players slip on their new gear, though the result may not have been favorable, the losing team’s misfortune at least has some benefits: quality apparel that will go to those in need.

CHS Athletes Commit

Congratulations to junior Alexis Shay for verbally committing to play soccer for High Point University of the Big South Conference. Shay has been on varsity for three years as a midfield and forward. Good luck to Shay on becoming a Panther.
The Observer would like to honor athletes who will be taking their game to the college level. Please notify the Observer when you or someone you know commits. E-mail the Observations editor at jencan0189@yahoo.com.

CHS Athletes Commit

Congratulations to senior Jonathan Milbourn for accepting an offer to play football at Ohio Wesleyan University of the North Coast Athletic Conference. Milbourn has been on varsity for three years as offensive tackle. Good luck to Milbourn on becoming a Battling Bishop.

CHS Athletes Commit

Congratulations to senior Maryam Fikri for accepting an offer to run cross-country and indoor and outdoor track for the University of Maryland of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Fikri has been on varsity for four years as a distance runner. Good luck to Fikri on becoming a Terrapin.

CHS athletes commit

Congratulations to Jake Eskin for committing to play basketball for Susquehanna University of the Landmark Conference. Jake will play point guard for the Crusaders. This past season for CHS Jake averaged 18 points, six assistants and four rebounds per game. Good luck Jake on becoming a Crusader.

Congratulations to Ryan Quinn for committing to play football for Carnegie Mellon University of the University Athletic Association. Ryan has been on varsity for three years and will be a running back for the Tartans.

Athlete of the Month: Jake Eskin

Senior Jake Eskin may not be alumni Chase Hicks or Elijah Gore, but neither is he trying to be. Whereas Hicks and Gore dominated in the post and made flashy plays using their superior athleticism, Eskin has let his fundamental basketball and phenomenal shooting ability quietly make him one of the county’s elite players.

“I have worked extremely hard in the offseason on my game and skills, but I believe that attacking the basket is the strongest part of my game,” Eskin said. “It allows me to get to the hoop, take open jumpers and dish to my teammates.”

This season, Eskin has done it all, leading the team in scoring with 17 points per game thanks to everything from three-point shots, drives to the hoop, drawing fouls and even the mid-range game. But perhaps the most important aspects of his game are his ability to distribute the ball and the leadership ability he exhibits on the floor.

On a team with five sophomores and just two seniors, Eskin has gotten everyone involved. His ability to maintain the team’s composure has aided contributions from unexpected sources.
“When Jake is seeing the entire floor and because he is drawing a lot of attention from opposing teams, he really opens the floor up for some of our guys,” coach Matthew Miller said. “The other thing he does is keep [his teammates] focused on what we need to do next. Sometimes we need that voice on the court that gets the team re-focused when things are not going well.”
Eskin fell into Miller’s lap this offseason when he transferred from Northwest. It was unknown how the team would respond to the transfer, but after the success with Gore’s transfer a season ago, they didn’t have much to worry about.

“We have been very fortunate to have Elijah and Jake the last two years, who not only were impact players, but fit right in with all of the other guys,” Miller said. “Every guy on this team feels like Jake has been here all along and that’s a tremendous compliment to both Jake and the rest of the guys for allowing the transition to be rather seamless.”

Just as Gore turned CHS from a very good team to one of the most dangerous teams in the county a year ago, Eskin has turned a Bulldog team that was thought to be a potential doormat this season into a potential playoff threat that no one will want to face.

 “He always keeps you focused and the whole team on the same page,” senior Michael Ely said. “Without him, we wouldn’t be successful at all.”