On Sept. 17, the winners of this summer's “Every Sandwich Tells a Story” contest will be selected.

The competition was co-sponsored by Subway, known for its “Subway Eat Fresh" slogan and for Jared, the formerly really fat, presumably out-of-shape guy, who is now skinny, and, one would assume, living a healthier lifestyle; and Scholastic, the publishing house we parents recognize because it recruits our school-aged kids to extort us for book money in carpool line the morning that the order forms are due.

The two companies asked children in grades Pre-K through sixth to compose a short story about sandwiches that looked like they didn't make the cut for a Fraggle Rock reunion tour. The grand prize winner was awarded $5,000 for his school to spend on athletic equipment, a Scholastic gift basket (approximate retail value: $500) and a $100 Subway Card. Six runners-up winners will receive a $100 Scholastic gift basket and a $100 Subway Card. Home schoolers needed not apply, but that was a different fiasco altogether.

Kudos to both companies for acknowledging and trying to address the problem of children’s health.

On a boardroom level, Subway’s sports marketing efforts are admired throughout the industry. The Milford, Conn.-based company has fared remarkably well over the past year in several SportsBusiness Journal-led surveys that measured fan awareness and loyalty.

Here’s where we tone down the cheering a bit.

Subway is the third largest fast food chain in the world after Yum! Brands and McDonald’s, with estimated sales of $11 billion last year. The company title sponsors two NASCAR Sprint Cup races, including the Subway Fresh Fit 500, and was Tony Stewart’s primary sponsor in that race. Stewart appeared with Jared in Subway ads last year.

New York-based Scholastic Corp. generated $2.2 billion last year.

Add it all up, and suddenly that $5,000 grand prize looks scrawnier than Jared.

Five grand will get you, excluding labor, about five slides and ladders, or maybe a blacktop refinished, according to Ithaca, N.Y.-based Leathers & Associates, one of the country's biggest playground builder. Or two outdoor basketball hoops installed.
 
Want to impress me? Build a whole playground in an inner city or equip a gymnasium in a rural community. Better yet, pick a school in Iowa or Galveston whose athletic facilities were destroyed this year by natural disasters, and rebuild the whole darned complex. Name it Scholastic Field and make sure only Subway sandwiches are sold there, just for a little ROI.
 
I like Subway’s idea. And I'd love to see more partnerships like this. Just bigger.