Have I Been Copied?

I got the new Runner's World in the mail today. There are often months when I wonder why I still get that rag, and whether it's worth the measly $1 a month. But then they get a good article or two and I decide it's worth it. This month they have a feature on Bill Rodgers, written by Steve Rushin, who used to do the Air and Space column for Sports Illustrated.

But that's not what I'm writing about. Up near the front of the magazine is a two-page ad in which a couple of nerds have re-created, in miniature, the finish of famous 1982 Boston Marathon, the Duel in the Sun. The copy calls them the "running superfans" and directs you to a website under the same moniker.

Now, I cannot say I've been plagiarized. I took the name directly from Bill Swerski's Superfans on SNL, which was part of a stage production before it hit TV, and even then the term wasn't new. But I can honestly say that I was the first I've ever heard of to connect the term "Superfan" to the greatest sport that ever has been or ever could be invented -- namely, track & field and its associated sports, including road running. I strongly suspect I may have been part of the inspiration for this ad campaign. I consider it an honor, I guess.

I bet I never get a check from it, though.