>>>First of all, given that there is a sizeable amount of discussion in the Chatter forum on Science, I'm surprised there is no category for it here.
>>Agreed!
>
>Wierd that we have a Sports category but nothing for Science, Politics, or Religion, which seems to consume most of the Chatter forum.

Sport is the sacred cow of the current civilization. It's amazing to what lengths it goes to give these guys a special place. Even in communism - we had a public swimming pool, built by community money, and we still had to pay tickets (which was OK) and then had to get lost before 6PM, because that's when the ten guys who were training for waterpolo would get in (which p*ssed me off royally). Or when the sportsmen would get their time from the point when they went into top three in the country count as if they were working (towards their retirement). Or in the Army, we had two teams - one was publishing the platoon newspaper with stick and rope technology, and the others were just running (not really achieving anything). Guess who got a ten day leave.

I think it's no better here - look at your universities. What's the biggest scientific achievement they are proud of? What do they boast with? Their football teams. And how do they pick their best candidate students for the next generation? By intelligence, of course, and the academic success so far - but being a prospective player overrides it all.