The children and elderly of Nicaragua weren’t exactly disappointed when the New England Patriots lost in the Super Bowl the week before last and failed to complete their perfect season. Not because they were fans of the victorious New York Giants; more because they had no idea the game was on, or even what a New England Patriot is.

In anticipation of going “19 and 0″, though, the people responsible for meeting the Pats t-shirt needs had printed up some victorious, boasty shirts for the players to pull on in celebration the minute the game ended. As it turned out they didn’t need them.

Instead of taking the stupid shirts out into the car park, dousing them in petrol and exorcising the pain with fire, the shirts were shipped to a country far, far away, where the sound of laughter has a more innocent tone, unlike that provoked by the sight of the solemn Patriots falling at the final fence.

The shirts were given away earlier this week to kids and old folk in the town of Diriamba, much to their delight. Anyone hoping for something in their size, however, was out of luck. The “Super Bowl Champions” shirts were made to be worn by immense individuals bulked up even further with padding - not slender under-tens.