Super Bowl Merchandise and the Bets Behind It (The New York Times)

Long before the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLIV, the New Orleans Saints had already beaten the Indianapolis Colts in one important category: merchandise.

Though the experts considered the Colts the favorite to win, FootballFanatics.com, a Web operation in Florida that is licensed to sell official Super Bowl merchandise, pre-ordered more Saints material, assuming that the interest would be much greater if the Saints won.