Goodwill Industries has led the charge of Midwestern thrift stores and charitable organizations that will refuse to accept donations that might include a Sammy Sosa jersey or T-shirt. Crates of the No. 21 merchandise have been piling up in resale outlets and donation warehouses for more than a year.
“Enough is enough. We’ve got tons of these things — home, away, classic, cheesy — but we’re not selling any,” said Al Brozyna, regional manager for Goodwill. “We’ve shipped several thousand Sosa garments to disaster areas and they always come back untouched.”
According to Brozyna, many poverty-stricken individuals see Sosa-based apparel as a clear “slap in the face.”
“They already feel society has let them down, and now we’re asking them to wear the jersey of an obvious steroid-user,” said Brozyna. “It’s at the point where we might have to cut the lettering off so maybe we can salvage a few dollars.”
By Brooke Saucier
