From the Runners World Forum:

Has this happened in your area???

I’m getting fed up with race t-shirts that have crappy designs! I’ve run four races this year. A race per month is about my average (sometimes more). But three of the four…and a few last year too…have logos or pictures on them that render it a shirt that I won’t wear because it’s just too goofy. I think many other participants feel the same way. It’s unfortunate because I think part of what the sponsors pay for is having the shirts with their company logo on it worn around. One picture is a drawing by a child of two swans kissing on the reservoir we ran a 15K around. It’s a nice picture by not really appropriate for a race t-shirt. The 10K I just ran on Saturday was an inaugural race and very popular because we ran over one of our local iconic bridges. Instead of putting a picture of the bridge on it, there a goofy cartoon picture of a rabbit (I know…Easter). I just wish organizers would somehow check with the local running populace to see if their t-shirt logo is acceptable before they produce them.

I’d just like a shirt that fits… so far I’ve only done one race that offered women’s sized shirts and that is the only shirt I’ve gotten that fits good.

I have a special place for shirts like that – and when I have enough of them collected they go to a clothing drive.

Man, you guys are no fun! The t-shirt has been a staple of the road race since the early days of the running boom back in the early/mid 70s. It’s part of the tradition. Not the goodie bags, not food served afterward, nor even participation medals. Not the over-priced individual race photos or the tons of email and snail mail that organizers send me before and after the race, …all of that stuff is of WAY less importance than the t-shirt. Maybe you don’t, but lots of people run races JUST to get the shirt. If you’re going to be charged for it they might as well make it a descent design.

Frankly, I’ll probably end up declining most race shirts.  I’m unlikely to wear them anyway (in large part because of goofy designs), I don’t have room to store a bunch of crap I won’t wear, and event-specific stuff doesn’t generally sell well at Goodwill, so why even bother taking one?