South Dakota teachers scramble for dollar bills in ?demeaning? game

A competition pitting 10 teachers against each other to scramble for dollar bills to fund school supplies in a city in South Dakota has been described as "demeaning" and drawn comparisons with the Netflix hit series Squid Game.

The local newspaper the Argus Leader reported $5,000 (£3,770) in single dollar bills were laid out on the ice skating rink during the Sioux Falls Stampede hockey game on Saturday night, and the teachers from nearby schools competed to grab as many as possible in less than five minutes.

Footage of the competition that went viral on social media showed teachers stuffing the notes down their jumpers and into hats while the audience cheered.

The money was reportedly donated by CU Mortgage Direct to fund teaching supplies and classroom repairs.

The company and the Sioux Falls Stampede later apologised for the competition, following widespread backlash.

"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," they said in a joint statement.

On social media the "dash for cash" footage was described as "humiliating" and "dystopian". Some people likened the footage to scenes from Squid Game or the Hunger Games franchise.