[Rich Kressly]

I guess this discussion and my ignorance of how on earth this single example of teams helping one another without cheating anyone out of anything is why, in 1989, Prof. Black asked me , "So, you're really gonna do this, huh?"

My original degree was in business management way back in 1989. My last semester we had the business ethics course with Prof. Black. I was already hired by the Sherwin Williams Company and I was due to enter their store management training program upon my graduation. After several class discussions and the first few weeks of class, Black stopped me leaving class and said/asked with a smile while shaking his head, "So, you're really gonna do this, huh?"

I was clueless in 1989, but I was speaking my mind and soul in the class and he knew then what I learned about myself later. I'm not a businessman and I never will be.

I lasted three months in business management. I've been teaching for a little over 16 years. I love what I do and I'm exceedingly thrilled I haven't had to engage in conversations like this in nearly two decades. I do try to maintain a sense of fairness though and I consider myself pretty vigilant about not cheating anyone out of anything.

I don't see a team here that is cutting these kinds of deals with a boatload of teams to become a "distributor" of any kind. I see teams helping one another. If NI and or FIRST were to come forward with an explicit rule about this type of exchange, then I'd certainly abide by a clear and stated rule. Until then, I'll still be ignorant of how this type of logic and thinking is formed. I'm done with this thread now. I think I'm gonna use the time to try and locate Professor Black. I really need to thank him.