value of our inventory below our previous estimate, we would increase our reserve in the period in which we made such a determination and record a charge to cost of sales.

Contingent Payments under Endorsement Contracts

A significant portion of our demand creation expense relates to payments under endorsement contracts. In general, endorsement payments are expensed uniformly over the term of the contract. However, certain contract elements may be accounted for differently, based upon the facts and circumstances of each individual contract.

Some of the contracts provide for contingent payments to endorsers based upon specific achievements in their sports (e.g., winning a championship). We record selling and administrative expense for these amounts when the endorser achieves the specific goal.

Some of the contracts provide for payments based upon endorsers maintaining a level of performance in their sport over an extended period of time (e.g., maintaining a top ranking in a sport for a year). These amounts are reported in selling and administrative expense when we determine that it is probable that the specified level of performance will be maintained throughout the period. In these instances, to the extent that actual payments to the endorser differ from our estimate due to changes in the endorser’s athletic performance, increased or decreased selling and administrative expense may be reported in a future period.

Some of the contracts provide for royalty payments to endorsers based upon a predetermined percentage of sales of particular products. We expense these payments in cost of sales as the related sales are made. In certain contracts, we offer minimum guaranteed royalty payments. For contractual obligations for which we estimate that we will not meet the minimum guaranteed amount of royalty fees through sales of product, we record the amount of the guaranteed payment in excess of that earned through sales of product in selling and administrative expense uniformly over the remaining guarantee period.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment, including buildings, equipment, and computer hardware and software is recorded at cost (including, in some cases, the cost of internal labor) and is depreciated over its estimated useful life. Changes in circumstances (such as technological advances or changes to our business operations) can result in differences between the actual and estimated useful lives. In those cases where we determine that the useful life of a long-lived asset should be shortened, we increase depreciation expense over the remaining useful life to depreciate the asset’s net book value to its salvage value.

When events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of property, plant and equipment may be impaired, we estimate the future undiscounted cash flows to be derived from the asset to determine whether or not a potential impairment exists. If the carrying value exceeds our estimate of future undiscounted cash flows, we then calculate the impairment as the excess of the carrying value of the asset over our estimate of its fair market value. Any impairment charges are recorded as other expense,