How might the landscape of US professional or collegiate sports be affected if, instance, Nike or Majestic were to go belly up on the eve of a new season? OK, I’ve employed a bit of hyperbole with the above headline, but with the fate of Canterbury in flux, a number of European teams might well search for vintage shirts on eBay.  From the Guardian’s Owen Gibson :

Rival sportswear firms have wasted no time in making overtures to the wide range of rugby, football and cricket clubs affected by the collapse of Canterbury Europe, plunged into administration on Monday with the loss of 72 jobs. All of its contracts were summarily cancelled. Portsmouth “ currently in limbo as they await a new owner with no permanent manager, no new players and now no kit supplier “ will be among those affected, along with the Scottish Rugby Union and Heineken Cup holders Leinster. All were in the first or second year of new deals running until 2012 and worth up to £1m a year. The affected clubs, also including London Wasps, Cardiff Blues and Yorkshire County Cricket Club, will be treated as unsecured creditors.

The SRU was forced to cancel the planned launch yesterday of an alternative Scotland kit, while Portsmouth are due to launch their new kit on Tuesday “ and as of yesterday were still encouraging fans to pre-order on their website. The administrator, KPMG, will continue to run the business in administration with a skeleton staff and the company’s New Zealand operation is unaffected.