Cape Cod meet Wimbledon

The sports equivalent of product placement is often termed a sponsorship. A few weeks ago, Polo Ralph Lauren signed a contract to design a set of court clothes for officials, ball boys and girls, as well as linesmen at the British tennis tournament.

This is the first time in 129 years that there has been designer clothes created for the ball handlers and frankly, it leaves a few wondering why such a quintessentially American designer was chosen.

As the official outfitter for Wimbledon, Polo is also releasing a limited edition line in its stores entitled The Polo Ralph Lauren Wimbledon Collection. The clothing designer is to be the outfitter for all future Wimbledon events through 2010.