A Morality Play – Pt. 2
I had some interesting responses to the scenarios I posted earlier, both on here and in person. Some people would go with the flow. Some people would call a judge on themselves. I've had all four of these situation happen to me in sanctioned events of PTQ scale or bigger and I can't say I've acted within the rules of the game in every situation. It's easier for me to understand the motivations of people who, in their quest to gain competitive advantage over their opponents in any game or sport, cross the line between crafty and cheating. Most PTQ circuit players I talked to regarding this said they would, at least for some of the situations, shut up and keep playing. Some, like Daniel Duterte, would self-report on all the situations. I like to think I'd do the same now, but when the situation arises where my silence could potentially lead to a blue envelope, I can't say with certainty that I'd speak up.
So when you read about a player getting disqualified in a tournament for trying to get an additional competitive edge during a match (and I think peeking at someone's draft during said draft is a lot different then the scenarios I laid out earlier), or a professional athlete getting busted for performance enhancing drugs, it's not just disappointment we should feel - it's a product of the hyper-competitive environments these individuals are trying to succeed in as well. And like any mistake in life, it's the actions of the person after they make that mistake that determines their true character.
