Should finisher shirts be sold before a marathon?
I ask this question because of something that I saw last Saturday.
I was at the expo for the San Antonio Marathon the next day, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll folks were selling finisher shirts.
I bought one, but I also had an odd feeling about it.
After all, I had not even started the marathon, let alone finished it.
I was sure that I was going to finish, I liked the design, I knew that this was my only convenient, in-person opportunity to buy such a shirt, and I wanted a long-sleeve technical shirt, which I had never had.
But I also joked with my wife that it was a bit odd to be able to buy this ahead of time.
After we made the purchase, I had a bigger realization: Anybody could have entered the expo and bought one of those finisher shirts.
That’s right: You did not have to even prove that you were participating in the marathon or half marathon to enter the expo and specifically to enter the clothing retail area.
Here are a few arguments in favor of selling finisher shirts before a marathon:
- It is perhaps a free-speech issue in that any retailer can sell shirts with anything (or almost anything?) printed on them.
- A finisher shirt can inspire a buyer-participant with integrity to finish.
- Practically speaking, many participants are not in any mood to go shopping after the race.
- Unlike a race medal or an online database of finishers, a finisher shirt is not proof that one has completed a race.
- In the USA anyway, colleges and universities all the time sell T-shirts, sweatshirts, and other apparel with their logos emblazoned on them.
But, regarding that final argument, college and university apparel usually does not indicate that the wearer is a graduate. Instead, most people understand that academic sportswear often simply indicates that someone is a fan of the associated college or university.
In contrast, a finisher shirt directly implies that the wearer has finished the race.
What do you think? Do you no longer trust your eyes when you see someone wearing a finisher shirt? Or do you figure that anyone who has not finished a race but wears one anyway is only doing harm to himself or herself? Are the Rock ‘n’ Roll folks (and, presumably, others) cheapening the significance of finisher shirts? Or would “Let the viewer beware!” be your advice to anyone who is bothered by this?
Please let me know what you think by leaving a comment here. Thanks!
