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Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
Business
Sam Dean, Jaimie Ding

The bizarre economy of Super Bowl merchandise: What happens to the losing team’s ‘champion’ apparel?

Call it the Schrödinger’s Hat paradox.

Right now, thousands of caps, T-shirts, sweatshirts and face masks proclaiming the Los Angeles Rams the next Super Bowl champion are sitting in boxes. A parallel pile of merchandise celebrates the victory of the Cincinnati Bengals.

If the Rams take home the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday, all that Bengals gear will instantly become unsellable, at least in the eyes of the NFL. If the Bengals manage to best the Rams in their own house, the Rams kit will transform into wearable lies as soon as the whistle blows. A cat’s life might not be at stake, as in the quantum mechanics thought experiment, but it does present a conundrum to L.A.'s sports retailers.

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