Losing the Super Bowl is charitable

Here's one of the defining images of American sports. Seconds after any major game---the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the World Series, and heck even the conference finals of all these sports---all the players on the victorious team are seen wearing T-shirts and caps that proclaim them as champions. And, the first commercial break after the game features ads that all fans of the victorious team can purchase the gear that they just saw their idols wearing.

The fact that all this happens as soon as the game ends either implies that all such games are fixed, or that championship T-shirts and games are stitched up beforehand for both teams. So as to not lose my faith in sport, I discard the former option. Which begs the question: what happens to the gear produced for the losers?

I just discovered the answer: charity! Better than relegating all those T-shirts to the trash I guess ...