[Libby K]

Originally Posted by Katie_UPS

No one likes hearing what they do is futile or worthless, especially when compared to this other thing (even if it is robots). Student athletes work just as hard as, if not harder than, robotics kids, and it kind of stinks to have someone belittle your hours of dedication/passion.

This is a really concise way of stating the reason I can't stand when we propose FIRST as the alternative to sports. I was an athlete in high school, in addition to captaining my robotics team. Sports aren't evil, being a student athlete doesn't mean you're dumb/aggressive/don't know how to be a decent human being/any other stereotype you want to attach to athletes.

It's frustrating when high school sports programs overtake the budgets and attention of FIRST teams, sure - but there's nothing inherently wrong with playing a sport, or celebrating student athletes.

Sports teams teach students teamwork, discipline, dedication... just like FIRST teams do. Are there parts of sports-culture that we probably don't want to start including in FIRST? Absolutely. That's why FIRST pushes hard on the core values of gracious professionalism and co-opertition. There are going to be bad apples in any community - we've all seen unsportsmanlike behavior in football and FIRST alike. That doesn't make either program, or the work people put into their team, invalid.

I think this article is a great set of first impressions about FIRST, and has certainly been making the rounds online (In fact, our school superintendent sent it to me - he'd found it on his own!) - but that doesn't mean we (generally - I'm not referencing this specific case at all, I promise) have to tear down other teams of hardworking students to give FIRST the spotlight.

Edit:: Just found a section near the bottom of the article that I hadn't seen before - the author gets it, and I really hope he stays involved.

My goal here isn’t to denigrate or turn anyone away from sports. They can be a wonderfully positive part of any young person’s upbringing. But after this experience, I’ll almost certainly be holding the athletes, coaches, and fans to a higher set of expectations, now that I know what’s possible.