[mathking]

You need a lot more data, since you seem to be assuming that the average number of kids from each sport go on to college, but your above average number of robotics kids. But this is almost certainly not the case. Furthermore, your no brainer is not a no brainer. From even your own analysis cross country is a good deal. And if cross country has a higher than 55% rate of athletes going to college (which is very likely) it would be more cost effective on either metric. As a robotics coach who also coaches cross country, I feel they both have value. So let's not start this robotics vs. sports debate. If your intention is to get more support from your school for robotics, frame it that way. Show that robotics gets less funding than sports and argue that it should get more. If you try to show that robotics is "superior" you will just alienate people. Yes America needs more engineers. We also need fewer sedentary people.