Intentionally Losing Matches

[msd]

Originally Posted by 1885.Blake

since when did meticulous analysis of the mathematics and social interactions of a tournament become known as "finagling"? In my math, science and engineering studies it has been known as "optimizing".

Just because you /can/, doesn't mean you /should/. Optimize numbers, not people.

Also, let's not forget that the goal to be on the winning alliance is (or ought to be) a distant sub-bullet underneath the broader goal "to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders".

The way the tournament is structured is simply a mechanism, not the real goal.

The game is simply a mechanism, not the real goal.

The robot is simply a mechanism, not the real goal.

FIRST itself is simply a mechanism, not the real goal.