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George1902 01-04-2004 01:19

NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
<Edit>Thank you for the kind words, everyone! I hope I made your April Fool's Day a little more memorable.

Thank you to to Dave and Andy for being good sports, too! (Those were real quotes, folks.)

Let's do this again sometime. Say, 364 days from now? =-]</Edit>

Um... Andy? Dave? You seem to be up to speed already... Care to clue the rest of us in?

----------------------------------------------------------------

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- FIRST, an organization focused on promoting engineering to high school students, was purchased today by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. FIRST, which stands for "For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology," was previously owned by its founder Dean Kamen. Kamen recieved relative fame for his inventions the iBot, a wheelchair that can climb stairs, and the self-balancing scooter called the Segway HT. Terms of the sale were undisclosed.

Sources close to Irsay say he already has plans for his new pet project: he will move FIRST's headquarters from it's current home in Manchester, NH to Indianapolis, the home of Irsay's other hobby, the Colts.

What will the move mean to FIRST? Only good things says Dave Lavery, a NASA engineer and creator of FIRST's 2004 robotics competition "FIRST Frenzy." "Moving FIRST to Indianapolis makes a lot of sense," Lavery explains. "Placing the organization in a more central locale will ease some of the communications, shipping, and staff issues that hamper many east coast companies."

"I can't believe it!" exclaims Andy Baker, a FIRST mentor and winner of FIRST's 2003 Mentor of the Year Award. "This is bigger than the Colts moving out of Baltimore at midnight."

But in spite of the change, both men are looking towards the future. "Indy is going wild!" says Baker. "Now, Payton Manning and Reggie Miller want to start FIRST teams! This is great! Tony George has already asked us to hold a Regional at the start/finish line of the Brickyard. This is excellent!" Lavery says that the move "will also allow Dean Kamen to fully concentrate on his core businesses with Deka, Segway and the newly founded WaterMass Project."

Neither Irsay nor Kamen were available for comment.

The FIRST Robotics Compeition is made up of more than 800 teams participating nationwide and internationally, in 23 Regional events and a Championship event.

---

On the Net:
FIRST: www.usfirst.org
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

David66 01-04-2004 01:20

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
erHEM...you may want to look at your calendar. and if youre a magic player check out magicthegathering.com or any other frequently updated site

Joe Ross 01-04-2004 01:34

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I knew Segway was doing poorly, but I never thought Dean would sell FIRST to finance the company.

It should remind New England baseball fans of an event that took place in 1920.

ngreen 01-04-2004 01:41

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Sometime I forget when the clock changes over. Good one. If it was tommorow, not tonight, this wouldn't have gotten me.

D.J. Fluck 01-04-2004 01:46

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I always knew I liked that man! :ahh: Jim Irsay has really turned the Colts around from a team whose fans consisted of old ladies knitting to a packed house of true football fans. This will be a great step to making FIRST publically huge!

abeD 01-04-2004 01:46

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
maybe we can all get football jerseys next year!

UlTiMaTeP 01-04-2004 01:47

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Dean has to finance his denim collection somehow.

10intheCrunch 01-04-2004 01:49

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Still not there on the West Coast--come on guys, let it be the right day all across the country first :)

MikeDubreuil 01-04-2004 02:47

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I hope this means we get to wear shoulder pads with our safety glasses.

Ken Leung 01-04-2004 03:08

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by George1083
Um... Andy? Dave? You seem to be up to speed already... Care to clue the rest of us in?

----------------------------------------------------------------

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- FIRST, an organization focused on promoting engineering to high school students, was purchased today by Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.

Wow, I am all shaken up reading this.

I really don't know what to feel about this. On one hand, it says a lot about FIRST when it is ran by a non-profit organization. The purpose of this program is to inspire students into the field of science and engineering. As a non-profit organization, FIRST shows the world that all the money and resources it receives go back to the students and the future of the world. Other than organizations like doctor without borders, I can't think of any other images more appropriate for showing the world you really mean it.

On the other hand, it has always been difficult for FIRST to function with an extremely small staff, and limited budget. Lots of difficulties faced at regionals are simply the lack of funding, and lack of regional support. With the Colts purchasing FIRST, it could potentially introduce FIRST to the sports realm, and bring in a lots of money. Imagine the possibilities! Regionals at all the football stadiums, competition broadcast on ESPN, and lots of FIRST merchandise pumped out from the NFL merchandise machinery. It will be like instant fame over night!

I suppose its useless debating it now. It cannot change what has happened. We simply have to deal with the fact that it happened, and deal with it as it comes. I suppose if FIRST stick to its goal of inspiration to students, the ends really do justify the means. I mean, they are not hurting anyone with the purchase. I am sure once everything is on track, the community will have the strength to shape the future of FIRST to however they see best.

Mean while, I am going to sit back and enjoy the ride. Its going to be interesting watching the speech delivered by someone other than Dean this year. Maybe our new homework assignments is to help sell season tickets to some of the best teams in FIRST. I sure want season tickets to all the regionals the most competitive teams are going to be at.

Mean while, I will be handing out autographed photo at the Championship event for $19.99 a copy signed by me on my famous chief delphi forum red hair picture. I will take advance order if you send them to me 1 week before championship.


Oh, by the way, what's the deal with April 1st? Is it some sort of holiday?

Koko Ed 01-04-2004 05:26

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I love the NFL (Let's Go Buffalo!) but I don't want FIRST to become some comercial venture where ratings become more important than the message. We have already seen a few cracks in the wall of the dam in recent years we don't need it to break open for the sake of money.

A. Snodgrass 01-04-2004 05:39

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Leung
Oh, by the way, what's the deal with April 1st? Is it some sort of holiday?

Its april fools day, which means that all forms of pranks and tricks and other fun stuff is done on that day.

On a more serious note I find this slightly disturbing....what changes will this mean in FIRST with a new owner, not only possibly to game design and other aspects but also in how the whole program is run?

JakeGallagher 01-04-2004 06:49

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
/me is at a loss for words.
How could Dean sell FIRST and let it move??? Does Woodie Know about this? You can't just pick up MIT and move it a thousand miles, can you?

Tom Bottiglieri 01-04-2004 07:06

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I am in shock after hearing this.

You might have been able to see this coming thouhg. FIRST is such a big scale production. It was being run by such a small scale crew and budget. This is something i think FIRST was destined for.

Now, is it a good or bad thing? Only time will tell. But for now, I would have to say good. Sure, it will mean some changes in the way things are run, but it also opens the door for FIRST to just get up and run. We may be exposed to people that we were never exposed to before. I mean how cool would that be if there was ads for FIRST regionals during every colts game?

And another thing... we will never have to worry about finding a stadium for nationals again :)

Al Skierkiewicz 01-04-2004 07:17

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
OK,
Now the conjecture about next year's game can begin. I predict some kind of brown ball for the playing field pieces, maybe made out of pigskin. Green carpet for the field with lines so you line followers will have your work cut out for you. Instant replays on the bigscreen and unfortunately there will be referee recall after reviewing the play via video tape. Skyboxes will be for sale at the regionals, and minirobots to the first 10,000 people to walk through the doors at nationals. Ra! Ra!

Andy Grady 01-04-2004 07:46

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz
OK,
Now the conjecture about next year's game can begin. I predict some kind of brown ball for the playing field pieces, maybe made out of pigskin. Green carpet for the field with lines so you line followers will have your work cut out for you. Instant replays on the bigscreen and unfortunately there will be referee recall after reviewing the play via video tape. Skyboxes will be for sale at the regionals, and minirobots to the first 10,000 people to walk through the doors at nationals. Ra! Ra!

Finally we are gonna get footballs in FIRST. I've been waiting a long time for this...I applaud the move! I'm also a large supporter of instant replay...should be a great addition to the game!!! GO NFL (National FIRST League)

Good Luck,
Andy Grady

::sigh:: Whomever invented April 1st was a goofy dude.

Heretic121 01-04-2004 07:51

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
gg trying to scare us...

On the Net:
FIRST: www.usfirst.org
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved.

is acutally a link to

http://www.msn.americangreetings.com/display.pd?path=24044&bfrom=1&prodnum=3024774&<br% 20/>

CLICK THE LINK!!! =D

*edit* i just relaised he used HTML coding to make it say www.usfirst.org and had the link redirect to the greetingcard... BAH! very thought out indeed

Joshua May 01-04-2004 08:40

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Heretic121
*edit* i just relaised he used HTML coding to make it say www.usfirst.org and had the link redirect to the greetingcard... BAH! very thought out indeed

sneaky sneaky. Now you get no presents, George. :rolleyes:

Team311 01-04-2004 08:44

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
did any of you guys hear what my team just heard we got an email from first saying that The Championship has been cancelled due to lack of funds. They said that our registration fees will not be refunded and will go towards next years registration.

Tom Bottiglieri 01-04-2004 08:52

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Team311
did any of you guys hear what my team just heard we got an email from first saying that The Championship has been cancelled due to lack of funds. They said that our registration fees will not be refunded and will go towards next years registration.

Now see that's not believable for a second

RoboMom 01-04-2004 08:53

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by D.J. Fluck
I always knew I liked that man! :ahh: Jim Irsay has really turned the Colts around from a team whose fans consisted of old ladies knitting to a packed house of true football fans. This will be a great step to making FIRST publically huge!

Um..., never mind. I'm not going to dignify your above statement with a comment. Not the FIRST part. The other part. The knitting part :rolleyes:

Joe Ross 01-04-2004 10:18

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Team311
did any of you guys hear what my team just heard we got an email from first saying that The Championship has been cancelled due to lack of funds. They said that our registration fees will not be refunded and will go towards next years registration.

Sorry, that's been done before

D.J. Fluck 01-04-2004 10:21

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Ross
Sorry, that's been done before

of course Joe would take pride in pointing that out... ;)

Matt Leese 01-04-2004 10:58

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Now that FIRST is being purchased by an NFL owner, perhaps we'll see further similiarities to the NFL. So when will the first multi-million dollar contract for a mentor start? Will Delphi be able to pay Andy Baker enough to keep him on or will he enter the free agent market and switch to a different team?

Matt

Andy Baker 01-04-2004 11:02

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Leese
Now that FIRST is being purchased by an NFL owner, perhaps we'll see further similiarities to the NFL. So when will the first multi-million dollar contract for a mentor start? Will Delphi be able to pay Andy Baker enough to keep him on or will he enter the free agent market and switch to a different team?

Matt

Any and all offers should go to my agent. She is the mother of my three daughters.

:)

AB

JVN 01-04-2004 11:05

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt Leese
Now that FIRST is being purchased by an NFL owner, perhaps we'll see further similiarities to the NFL. So when will the first multi-million dollar contract for a mentor start? Will Delphi be able to pay Andy Baker enough to keep him on or will he enter the free agent market and switch to a different team?

Matt

I think I've been sold off to the Purdue team in exchange for a first round pick of next year's freshman class....

461 here I come... ;)

Matt Adams 01-04-2004 11:11

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JVN
I think I've been sold off to the Purdue team in exchange for a first round pick of next year's freshman class...

And now I've gotta negotiate with the team owner since you're pushing our salary cap... grr.

Matt

Ken Loyd 01-04-2004 11:21

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
With headquarters now in Indy (home of the Indy 500) does this mean I can throw away my drill motors and drop in a "hemi"?

Ken Loyd
Team 64

KenWittlief 01-04-2004 11:31

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
so this guy likes to buy non-profit organizations?

first the Colts

now FIRST?

whats next? is he going to buy the RedCross?

the state of California?

Ryan Dognaux 01-04-2004 12:31

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I saw this thread last night, and didn't want to say anything yet :) I wonder how many people actually believed it :]

Elgin Clock 01-04-2004 12:39

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Six to Eight words people - Put this in the RUMOR MILL!! (or lathe!)Two more words - April Fools!

Alex Cormier 01-04-2004 15:30

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
yeah, i like football... it's going to deal with a football game sort next year.. haha. very interesting news about this all... :ahh:

coreyjon 01-04-2004 16:01

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Oh god, scared me for a second, but then I remembered that not more than 2 hours ago, I was talking to Dean at TechConnex Summit here in Colonie, Ny. (I got my shirt signed, YEA!) See you guys in atlanta.

_GP_ 01-04-2004 16:42

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
wow i can't believe so many people fell for it.. especially people who KNEW it was april fools.... wow

D.J. Fluck 01-04-2004 16:51

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by _GP_
wow i can't believe so many people fell for it.. especially people who KNEW it was april fools.... wow


who ever said it was a joke? :cool:

Heretic121 01-04-2004 17:00

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by D.J. Fluck
who ever said it was a joke? :cool:

me =D and the link at the bottom of the first post =P

D.J. Fluck 01-04-2004 17:01

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Heretic121
me =D and the link at the bottom of the first post =P

Aww I guess you guys are too good for people like us :rolleyes: :D

Ryan F. 01-04-2004 17:36

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Wow....that would qualify as one of the most believable jokes I've every had played on me. I was seriously worried about this. I could just see what would happen to our low budget team in a profit driven first :ahh:

BlueOrion 01-04-2004 17:36

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
That just doesn't make sense...April Fool's is a good time...we pulled a great one on our coach today...our coach thought that our one driver wasn't going to nationals anymore...i wish i could have been there to see his reaction. Like two other teachers were in on it two and I spread some rumors about it...great way to scare everyone on the team. :D

StephanieWeber 01-04-2004 17:39

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I must admit that even I was fooled. Very clever. I was about to call my team mentor about it when I saw on my phone the date: April 1. That was a bad but at the same time, a good joke. I know its a bit confusing..but thats the best I can do to describe it. Congrats, you had me fooled...which is a pretty good feat.

Koko Ed 01-04-2004 18:50

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
OUCH!
I got Punk'd!
GRRR! :mad: :o
Festering oozing "pox on your house" rep for you, Georgie!
Now I will have to destroy you in Fantasy Football next year! :p

Allison K 01-04-2004 19:11

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I was really confused for about 5 seconds, and was on my way to IM my FIRST friends, when I realized it was April Fools, and decided it would be fun to tell them anyway, and see how they reacted (especially cause I'm away at school and they won't be able to bludgeon me to death).

Allison

Jeremy L 01-04-2004 21:21

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
this was a good joke.
they forgot the most important part of the story though...
the colts guy was actually planning on giving FIRST to me as a birthday present. I was considering selling it to Japan, it seems like they need something to promote technology development over there.

Steve Horn 01-04-2004 21:28

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Wow, that was probably the best april fools joke somebodys done to me/a large group. I read this and actually believed it worried that Dean would no longer show up at competitions and the FIRST headquarters would move (I like where they are in New England). I almost told my mentor (who is also my physics and calculus teacher) right before calculus today but decided to wait and see if it was an april fools joke.

mtaman02 01-04-2004 22:19

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I'm gonna be honest with you guys. I went to work today expecting a bunch of jokes to be played on me and guess what none were played. I come home first thing I check other then my bank account was CD opened up this thread and was in complete shock. Read some more posts in here and then finally remembered that today was April Fools.

All in all This was not only the most scary joke ever played on here but it was also a well put together one.

However If the day should come for what ever Reason. Do you think Dean would sell FIRST to another company would it be for better or worst and would Dean continue to play a role in FIRST even though it would be under new management. Would the Woodie & Dean and Dave show continue to exsist (Kickoff). And last but definitely not the least. What kind of impact would this have on all the teams.

Dan Richardson 01-04-2004 22:29

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
WEll.. this would be cool.. Just imagine.. FIRST drafts.. and uhh.. Fantasy FIRST

With the 1st pick of the FIRST 2005 Draft.. Team 710 selects George as a Proffesional Mentor ( Graduating class of 2005.. craziness )

Ohh well.. Too bad its george and I tend not to believe anything he posts lol

Dan

fred 01-04-2004 22:32

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I must confess that I don't like what the move implies for FIRST and its teams. the "battle-bots" image will now be more strongly projected than ever. nice thought of using the AP article.

blue orion: that joke, mr. O takes doug outside and then comes back in 2 secs later with this huge smile on his face. a pretty good meeting.

Koko Ed 01-04-2004 22:35

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Stud Man Dan
WEll.. this would be cool.. Just imagine.. FIRST drafts.. and uhh.. Fantasy FIRST

With the 1st pick of the FIRST 2005 Draft.. Team 710 selects George as a Proffesional Mentor ( Graduating class of 2005.. craziness )

Ohh well.. Too bad its george and I tend not to believe anything he posts lol

Dan

Actually I like the idea of Fantasy FIRST. Pick three robots a week from whatever regionals and the highest score wins the whole week.
Sounds like fun.

Jones571 01-04-2004 22:38

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Koko Ed
Actually I like the idea of Fantasy FIRST. Pick three robots a week from whatever regionals and the highest score wins the whole week.
Sounds like fun.

sounds like something to set up for next year it would defanitly be fun.

Ryan F. 01-04-2004 22:38

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Yes!! That would be so cool!! Someone needs to start that next year.

RoteAugen 01-04-2004 22:44

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
to paraphrase Nietzsche:

FIRST is dead.

though it will still be the name of an organization, the spirit of the organization itself will die soon. Though we will retain it, it will no longer exist as we know it ever again.

Though it was destined to happen, I am still dismayed by this for the simple reason that because FIRST is now a part of a business enterprise, corruption WILL be a part of the game in years to come... maybe not next year, or the year after that.. but it will happen. prices will go up, competition will fade or become controlled.

I'm quite put off by dean selling FIRST. Had he really thought this through a utilitarian standpoint, he would have come to the easy conclusion that FIRST had to stay the way it was.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one

the same applies for wants and dependencies as well...

I can only hope that FIRST is ignored by the business machine and left untampered with. unless that happens, you may start seeing prostitution of the FIRST ideals and name/logo in places you would never want to see it.

I hope Dean knew what he was doing....

Ryan F. 01-04-2004 22:47

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Hmmm.....I think that someone only read the first page. But thanks for the optimism thought!!

Lil' Lavery 01-04-2004 22:48

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Good one, you almost got me there george, then my dad looked over my shoulder and saw what i was reading, and cracked up...

RoteAugen 01-04-2004 22:48

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
/wonders how many people will reply to that last post with misdirected passion.... :D

Chris Fultz 01-04-2004 23:24

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeGallagher
/ You can't just pick up MIT and move it a thousand miles, can you?

No need to move MIT. Purdue University is just up the road....

Jeremy 02-04-2004 00:44

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
:D Good one almost had me on that one I was about to flip out then i remembered what day it was??? :D :]

Ken Leung 02-04-2004 02:29

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Leung

Mean while, I will be handing out autographed photo at the Championship event for $19.99 a copy signed by me on my famous chief delphi forum red hair picture. I will take advance order if you send them to me 1 week before championship.


Oh, by the way, what's the deal with April 1st? Is it some sort of holiday?

Oh yeah, for those of you who thought I believed the story, sorry for the confusion ;-). Consider it my little effort to make it more believeable.

And please stop sending me PMs asking for those autographs, I am not really handing them out. ;-) ;-) ;-) Oh, just kidding with the whole thing.

And I DO know what April 1st is.

Joshua May 02-04-2004 08:54

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Koko Ed
Actually I like the idea of Fantasy FIRST. Pick three robots a week from whatever regionals and the highest score wins the whole week.
Sounds like fun.

I'm interested in creating something like that. I think that would be a great interactivitiy while you're bored waiting for competition.

Ken Loyd 02-04-2004 09:12

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Does this mean I can't use my "hemi"?

Ken Loyd
Team 64

Matt Leese 02-04-2004 11:04

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken Loyd
Does this mean I can't use my "hemi"?

Ken Loyd
Team 64

Off topic but, what is a hemi? Dodge recently started lots of ad's with them assuming everyone knows what they are.

Matt

Erin Rapacki 02-04-2004 11:40

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
I too have no clue what a HEMI is... :confused:

Next time an April fool's joke is played, it might help if you get all the facts straight... and make it more believable. For instance, there were many flaws with this idea of an 'NFL Owner Buying FIRST off of Dean.' FIRST is a non-profit organization founded by Dean, it's its own organization... not a company. Therefore, FIRST is not owned by anybody... it is only managed. If a organization isn't owned, how could it be bought?

But true, when I did first read the post yesterday morning... my jaw dropped and I was seriously confused. :D

George1902 02-04-2004 12:07

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin Rapacki
Next time an April fool's joke is played, it might help if you get all the facts straight

But isn't the absurdity of the situation all part of the fun? ;-]
Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin Rapacki
But true, when I did first read the post yesterday morning... my jaw dropped and I was seriously confused. :D


A. Snodgrass 02-04-2004 12:11

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
*smirks* thats part of what makes April Fools Day fun. Especially considering that you can always catch somebody. *chuckles evilly*

KyleGilbert45 02-04-2004 12:45

What's a Hemi.....
 
For those of you asking.. "What's a Hemi?"

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/hemi2.htm

Jessica Boucher 02-04-2004 13:08

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Erin Rapacki
For instance, there were many flaws with this idea of an 'NFL Owner Buying FIRST off of Dean.' FIRST is a non-profit organization founded by Dean, it's its own organization... not a company. Therefore, FIRST is not owned by anybody... it is only managed. If a organization isn't owned, how could it be bought?

Warning: Business student mode!

What I would assume is that the "owner of FIRST" would be whomever owns all of the physical capital. Basically, this is the building, the FIRST trademark, the employee's salaries, all of the physical aspects. So, "Buying FIRST" would entail buying all of that, at whatever price Dean felt to be accurate.

There is a difference between the owner of FIRST and the manager of FIRST, Erin is right. Dean may one day pass FIRST off to another manager, but still own the capital.

Erin Rapacki 02-04-2004 13:40

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Dean isn't the manager either, he's only an icon. A good way to put this... all the sponsors, mentors, & students own FIRST. We each have a share in the organization, FIRST works for us (not the other way around). Us 20,000 FIRSTaholics are the customers, provide the capital, and are the beneficiaries of the program's objectives.

Ok, I'm finished killing the mood... me goes to sleep for the first time in 3 months :(

Jessica Boucher 02-04-2004 18:26

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
...not necessarily. But now I have a more informed answer instead of the business-babble I was doing earlier. :)

FIRST is a registered non-profit with a NTEE code of A57 that recognizes them as a "Science & Technology Museum" (Note: NTEE = National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities, a Classification System developed by The National Center for Charitable Statistics). By the way, you can visit http://www.guidestar.org and search under "robotics" to pull up their records.

MelissaData (http://www.melissadata.com/Lookups/np.asp?ein=222990908), a listing of non-profits, lists FIRST as a corporation - which makes sense, because there is an extensive board of directors....one of them being Dean. To "buy FIRST", the board would agree to place whomever bought it in one of the top seats of the Board.

It's not a publicly held company. Revenues are from registration fees, private donations, and leasing revenue from the other companies & orgs within the FIRST Place building. You could say that indirectly...yes, we are funding the organization, but by giving money to FIRST you are at the Board of Director's mercy. If you didn't like the game, you cant "talk with your feet" and ask for your registration fee back...or "sell your FIRST stock". You are right in saying that we are the customers, paying for the service that FIRST provides....if we were the beneficiary, then we wouldn't be putting money in.

But hey, this could all be babble too :D

Erin Rapacki 02-04-2004 18:29

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Well then, I stand corrected. I'm obviously not a business major :p

Jessica Boucher 02-04-2004 19:04

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Sorry, I can be a pain in the butt...alot ;)

MikeDubreuil 02-04-2004 19:29

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessica Boucher
You are right in saying that we are the customers, paying for the service that FIRST provides

Finally, someone has explained what I had been babbling about last year.

We are customers to FIRST. In that comes expectations. I don't want to hear another, "You should be grateful for everything FIRST does" nonsense when FIRST royally screws up.

tkwetzel 02-04-2004 20:44

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Quote:

Off topic but, what is a hemi? Dodge recently started lots of ad's with them assuming everyone knows what they are.
The Hemi was introduced a while ago and the design patents or whatever were owned by Chrysler, so they were the only ones to have them for a while. You can see at the above How Stuff Works link that it stands for Hemishperical combustion chamber and it greatly increased engine efficiency. But since at least the 80's (maybe sooner) other companies started using hemispherical combustion chambers, just without all the big hype and advertising. They are just using it to revamp sales and attract some more customers. The Hemi is well known as Dodge's legendary engine, but most people are unaware that many engines these days have hemispherical combustion chambers.

Adam Y. 03-04-2004 09:05

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
Man this was kind of obvious. At least the other places that had practical jokes were subtle.

Koko Ed 03-04-2004 16:48

Re: NFL Owner Buys FIRST
 
A bigger panic would have been caused if that psycho infant Daniel Snyder had bought FIRST. I would have immediately been trying to convince my team to switch over to Best Robotics.


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