[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Damien1247

The other part of my response is a question, why does it matter if FIRST is a sport?

I don't know that it matters regarding some of the chit chat aspect of it that is in threads in CD. How it does matter is in the way FIRST is being marketed and promoted globally on all levels. Promoting science and technology with the end goal of having more scientists, technologists, and engineers available to help develop solutions to our world problems and create opportunities for our global future is a challenge. My personal views towards FIRST being a sport or not really don't matter when I am acting as a representative of FIRST in the role of mentor or volunteer. What matters in those roles is that I am mirroring the goals, mission statement, and promotional concept of FIRST that are stated in the FIRST website. If I don't, then my attempts to promote FIRST could conflict, causing confusion.

There is a saying that I'll probably mess up but it goes something like - you can't fit a square peg in a round hole. I rather think of FIRST as adding that triangular shape that fits in neither but adds/enhances/creates opportunity. We can't quite define FIRST according to past standards and traditions, because it is shaping the future and does not conform to today's model of sports. And does it need to? Do teams that play basketball or football, submit Chairman's Award or Woodie Flowers essays? FIRST is broader than sports as we know them. Not better - broader, wider, with enormous impact potential on our present and our future, globally (and beyond).