Yes, because there are NO mainstream sports for "smart" people or people who aren't "sporty" or "athletic."
Chess? Poker?
Yes, because then we (as a society) would pute's much more than that.
more of an emphasis on good math education, rather than getting laid and being "cool" in school.
are you sure? do we learn how to play the guitar just because Guitar Hero is becoming popular? do we learn more things about war tactics because "killer-games" are becoming popular? and, to be honest, does Math alone help you to become a good speedcuber? ther
1. Poker? Really? Is that a sport for "smart" people? And last time I checked, chess was "nerdy," and hardly a mainstream sport that is played/followed by the masses.
2. Maybe Guitar Hero isn't the best example, but Halo is. I'm sure I'll offend a lot of people here, but Halo really isn't a very good game. It's unbalanced, blah, blah, blah. But it is one of the most played, and most bought IPs in today's gaming market. Why? Because every 10 year old kid and their mom (ok, maybe not their mom) is playing it. Why are they playing it? Because it's "cool" to have an xbox and "cool" to play Halo. Even if they are grossly under the age ANYONE should be playing a Mature rated game. I don't want to go too long, but another example is Call of Duty 4. People started playing it because it was "cool" and on the xbox, when, in fact, they had never seen screenshots or video, much less played, Call of Duty 1 (which is leagues above CoD4).
-We may not learn about war tactics because of these "killing-games" (btw, when you say killing games, I think of Unreal Tournament), but our society/culture has allowed us to learn (indirectly), through the sports of Airsoft and Paintball.
-Yes, we rely on math. You are confusing Mathematics with Arithmetic. Arithmetic is the adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, etc. of numbers. Mathematics is problems solving, by using algorithms or heuristics, which is what we, as cubers do. In the United States, we are very good at arithmetic, but we are terrible at mathematics. We learn to take tests, and in these tests are pre-made problems, often with "perfect" answers (rational answers). However, if you compare our "real life" problem scores with those of other countries (say, Japan) we pale in comparison. This is because our society is so focused on making us LOOK good, not making us actually BE good at mathematics.
I want many more people who understand cube theory, have a sense of humor, and are willing to try many different events and puzzles, but I don't want to have to deal with a huge number of incomprehensible newbies. Can I just have the first group? Please?
You fail to realize in order to have group 1, you have to have group 2. You were a newbie once, too.