Fans, take heart: Your loss is a win for the needy

Vikings fans might not believe it, but a sliver of purple goodness came from Sunday's loss to New Orleans.

Each season, thousands of T-shirts, caps and towels are printed with guesses as to which of two teams will win NFL conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Purple-and-gold merchandise would have flown off the shelves had the Vikings prevailed and gone to their first Super Bowl in 33 years.

Instead, it will go to help earthquake victims in Haiti -- thanks to a partnership between the NFL and a humanitarian organization called World Vision.

Clothing from both conference championship games and the Super Bowl -- all bearing the name of the team that ends up losing -- is distributed to areas in need each year. While Super Bowl shirts, towels and caps make up the vast majority of the estimated $2 million worth of merchandise, every article of clothing counts.

Jeff Fields of World Vision said the organization received the Vikings-related goods on Thursday morning.

"We end up with about 100 pallets worth of stuff when it's all said and done," Fields said.

Why does such merchandise even exist? The NFL and Reebok have roughly 300 shirts printed and on hand for each potential winning team at the conference title games. But other sporting goods retailers "take a gamble," Fields said, and pre-order items for both teams so they have stock available the morning after (or even the night of) games.

The number of pre-ordered goodies depends on market size, fan base size and other factors. But one thing is certain: One team has to lose. And their leftover garments, since the mid-1990s, have been sent to World Vision.

From there, they are distributed to countries in need, usually within a couple weeks of the games. This year, the logical destination is Haiti, though infrastructure problems might delay their distribution.

At the NFL's request, World Vision works to make sure the goods are sent outside the United States.

"They want to be sensitive to fans of the teams," Fields said.

Indeed.

Seeing a smug fan from Green Bay walking around in a Vikings NFC champion shirt would be too much to take. But knowing the shirts are helping people in need might help heal a few wounded Minnesota hearts.

"Somewhere in the world," said Brad Madson, the Vikings director of community relations, "the Vikings are NFC champions."