[Ivan Malik]

Let me preface this with you guys at FRCTop25 do an amazing job. I have voted in the past and stopped because I have a huge bias towards Michigan. I see the show as an opportunity for lesser known teams from the area to get some much needed PR on the world stage, and therefore rank the big ones (like 1114) low. I stopped when I learned how few voters there were and didnt want my agenda to influence things that much.

Personally I think the reason you are seeing so many people knocking the voting is because the show is currently the most visual, highest audience show about FIRST around. You guys are leading the charge in a whole new avenue for FIRST; many people don't want that to be deluded by "inaccurate" rankings. Is there anything wrong with what you guys currently do, no, but what the majority of people's perception is the best teams will make the list. You are being viewed as a some-what official source, like looking forward is, for who is good. No matter how much you guys say it is just for fun, people have built it up so much in their minds that the show has taken on a whole new meaning.

IMHO the best course of action is to show/say how many voters there were that week and where the majority of voters are from to get rid of the regional bias (whether it exists or not) that people see. This will also show viewers that their votes count.

Your audience is a huge group of nerds, they like numbers and statistics. As the show grows comparing the numbers and the votes could be a nice feature, but should never be the cornerstone. Way to dry and one dimensional.

You guys are providing an amazing service for the FRC community in an area that is in its infancy. If you arnt recognized for being responsible for putting entertainment value on a primarily education based competition, then it's a criminal offense.