Teachers in South Dakota competed against each other in a bizarre cash grab game that many have slammed as "dystopian" and "demeaning".
The event - which took place at the Sioux Falls Stampede junior ice hockey game - saw at least 10 teachers from neighboring schools scramble for dollar bills, which they could then use to purchase classroom supplies.
Local newspaper the Argus Leader reports that $5,000 in single dollar bills were laid out on the ice rink. Teachers had just five minutes to gather as much cash as they could physically carry.
The prize money was donated by CU Mortgage Direct. Ryan Knudson - a spokesperson for the company - said the game had been conceived as a way to give teachers a much-needed boost.
"With everything that has gone on for the last couple of years with teachers and everything, we thought it was an awesome group thing to do for the teachers," he said.
Many of the teachers involved in the competition appreciated the gesture and said they planned to use the cash to buy flexible seating - things like standing desks, wobble chairs, and document cameras that they would otherwise have to pay for out of their own salary.
A video of the game - in which teachers can be seen crawling around on their hands and knees stuffing notes down their jumpers - has gone viral on social media.
However, many users were more appalled than impressed by what they saw.
"This just feels demeaning .. teachers shouldn’t have to dash for dollars for classroom supplies," tweeted Randi Weingarten, president of The American Federation of Teachers. "No doubt people probably intended it to be fun, but from the outside, it feels terrible," she added.
"This isn't heartwarming. It's dysfunctional, dystopian s***," added another user.
Meanwhile, some people compared the footage to scenes from the hit Netflix show Squid Game and the Hunger Games franchise. Both are centered around players who compete to the death for a cash prize.
"Teachers doing Squid Game on ICE! is 'heartwarming'" one user tweeted sarcastically.
"These are underpaid teachers in South Dakota, being told to get on their knees and fight other educators for cash in front of an audience. No wonder Hunger Games and Squid Games were filmed in capitalist hellholes," wrote another.
