Story at a glance
- Organizers of a recent “Dash for Cash” event in Sioux Falls apologized for “degrading” the participants.
- The event required 10 teachers to crawl on the ice for cash, which they could then use to fund school projects.
- Footage of the event caught by a local Sioux Falls reporter went viral with critics comparing it to Korean dystopian series “Squid Game.”
Organizers of a recent South Dakota “Dash for Cash” event which forced teachers to crawl on the floor for money apologized for “degrading” the instructors.
During a Sioux Falls Stampede hockey game Saturday, Dec. 11, 10 teachers were pitted against each other to crawl on their hands and knees for cash that they could then use to fund classroom projects, according to the Argus Leader.
In a now viral video, viewers can see the teachers scrambling on their hands and knees on top of a carpet placed in the ice skating rink and stuffing handfuls of dollar bills into their shirts and hats for five minutes, according to The Guardian.
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Footage of the scramble was caught by Argus Leader reporter Annie Todd whose viral Twitter thread of the event has over hundreds of thousands of views.
The teachers are ready pic.twitter.com/sRh0EgbCCu
— Annie Todd (@AnnieTodd96) December 12, 2021
Critics of the footage likened the “Dash for Cash” to the dystopian Korean television series “Squid Game” in which hundreds of people in deep financial debt fight to the death for a massive cash prize.
“Although our intent was to provide a positive and fun experience for teachers, we can see how it appears to be degrading and insulting towards the participating teachers and the teaching profession as a whole,” the Sioux Falls Stampede and co-organizers CU Mortgage Direct said in a joint statement. “We deeply regret and apologize to all teachers for any embarrassment this may have caused.”
A total of 31 teachers applied to take part in the team’s first-ever “Dash for Cash” event, and the 10 participants were randomly selected, according to the statement. The 10 participating teachers were able to collect a combined $5,000 with each grabbing at least $500, the statement added.
Both the Sioux Falls Stampede and CU Mortgage Direct will give an extra $500 to the event’s participating teachers and provide $500 to the other 21 applicants that were not selected to take part in the “Dash for Cash.” In total, both organizers will donate an extra $15,000 to teachers in the Sioux Falls area, the statement said.
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