Update #20

[JackG]

The aspect of the joke that nobody has seemed to notice is that it pokes fun at the GDC and the uncertainty surrounding their decision making/ideas for Breakaway. They already made a radical change to the rules regarding seeding, so the plausibility of them making another big "update" to the rules with something like this adds to the humor. (And I feel remarkably stodgy analyzing a joke like this. . .)

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Simple, because EVERY year whatever teams that do well are belittled and insulted because they are successful. Personally I don't want my students getting the impression that being great means you will be picked on and insulted. Every year, lately it has been bashing 217 or 1114 or 67 or [team du jour] All these teams did was do well. Should we really be insulting them for it? I don't CARE how they react, I think by insulting them and hoping FIRST makes rules against them you are celebrating mediocrity and that is WRONG.

Andrew, nobody but you can make you feel insulted. The same goes for every single other person and team. This is an excellent opportunity for you to teach your students about having thick skin and not taking things personally. It's not just FIRST where successful teams take flack; look at how people hate Duke basketball or the New York Yankees. Instead of getting upset over some harmless humor, use this as a learning opportunity.