[mrnoble]

Popularity has always been a part of the FRC experience as long as I can recall. It effects many things, from the way the MC introduces teams, to the picking of alliances, and I would venture that it might figure in to the judging of awards for spirit etc. (it certainly has seemed that way at times). It effects how we on CD react to posts, especially of robot pictures and videos. I have been ambivalent about this, because I know it is in large part due to some teams having a history of performing well, and because it isn't vicious in the way it could be in some high school sports etc. It does still negatively impact the experience for some teams, and some people take it more to heart than others.

Even so, I support the idea of a Peoples Choice award. There might be times when it will be given to the team that has the most fans in the stands, but other times it might be given to a robot that had unique features or performance that excited the crowd. I think that would be worth an award.