[rsegrest]

Whenever my robot kiddos complain about more money/attention/etc. going to the football team I remind them of something: every program our high school offers means something to someone.

I know kids, (one of them is now a highly visible, well-paid professional athlete) who graduated from high school for one reason; football. For this young man I know that football was the only thing that kept him coming to school, passing classes (we are a 'no pass no play' state), and out of trouble (for the most part anyway). In my school there are many others like him; we are a football town.

I would hazard a guess that the majority of us who are associated with robotics through a school know at least one student who only makes it through due to their dedication to a particular extra-curricular. Heck, I know kids (once again as I am sure we all do) who only make it through high school because of robotics.

I think perhaps the frustration some have arises from the feeling that it is acceptable to shun/ridicule those who are interested in things different from your interests. Many times the robotics (and STEM) kids are ridiculed by their peers (athletes and other students alike) in the hallways. In school we push kids to be smarter, learn more, and score higher on tests. When those kids find something that takes a whole lot of brainpower, dedication, and is the coolest thing in the world to them they feel that their school administration is ridiculing them as well by not allocating funding and recognizing their accomplishments just as they do the others. Heck, you can even take equal funding and recognition off the table. Some would shoot for any funding or recognition based on what I have read posted by others.

In short I agree with Libby (and am glad you read to the bottom of Mr. Smith’s article regarding sports). We are so well trained to read snipets of articles (big bold print) that we miss the fine print sometimes. I understand your frustration with the phrase ‘alternative to sports’. We should be just as valued though.