[XaulZan11]

Did anyone else pause for second after hearing the $2,500 scholarship for every active student on the Chairman's award team? A part of me thinks could lead down a very bad road.

A year or so back, there was a thread discussing how FIRST has and could continue to become more like the sports model, where winning at all costs is the main objective. One common response, which I agreed with, was that FIRST won't become completely like sports because there was no money involved. But once money was involved, the main mission of FIRST could get clouded.

I think this scholarship opens the door up to money being attached to team performance. While I don't think having a modest scholarship given to students that complete FIRST's mission, it necessarily a bad thing, what if another regional adopts this but adds a scholarship for the regional winners? If I'm a driver in the finals and I know I need to win the regional to get a scholarship to go to my dream school, my morals and ethics will certainly be questioned. If I'm a school principal and I see Team 46 win all these regionals, resulting in huge scholarships, what is stopping me from offering a job, with more money, to 46's mentors, so my students can obtain similar scholarships? If I'm a mentor then, wouldn't I be tempted to put winning regionals, so I can cash in later with a better job, ahead of teaching and inspiring the students? I'm pretty sure this already happens to a degree in high school sports.

Maybe I'm making too much of this. All the "what if's" I've used probably will never happen, but I'm weary of setting precedents. Again, I don't think this specific scholarship is a bad thing, but it could lead to some very unfortunate things.