interesting tidbit

i'm cleaning out my e-mail, reading my mental_floss newsletter. and check this out:

The baseball playoffs are in full swing, and fans have all kinds of burning questions: Is the Phillies' bullpen good enough for them to repeat? Can the Yankees finally figure out a way to not blow it against the Angels? And what happens to the losing teams' pre-printed championship T-shirts?

We can't predict what will happen on the field, but our own Matt Soniak looked into the t-shirt question:

World Vision is an international Christian humanitarian aid group that works with Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA to collect misprinted merchandise and distribute it to people living in impoverished nations (MLB used to require the destruction of shirts and hats proclaiming the wrong champions, but two years ago they began donating their postseason apparel).

The merchandise doesn't go to waste, people living in poverty receive new, clean clothes, and the clothing makers recoup some of their losses-they get tax credits for the charitable donations. It seems like a win-win situation, but some people might object. After all, aren't there people living in poverty in the U.S. who could use some new clothes? Yes, but overseas donation is part of the agreement between World Vision and the leagues. The farther away the clothing is, the less likely it is to offend a losing player or heartbroken Buffalo Bills fan.

Here's hoping your team's championship shirts don't end up in the donation pile. Enjoy the playoffs!