After player Firestar73 won the championship all the way through the finals, the victory was immediately revoked by the officials on the grounds of “unsportsmanlike conduct.” This kind of treatment is already very sensitive in competitive events, not to mention that it was canceled only after winning, which naturally triggered social discussions immediately.
After winning the championship, he lost his earphones and was deemed inappropriate.
The official “Pokémon GO” did not clarify which action triggered the penalty for Firestar73; however, the current theory circulating in the community is that he celebrated by throwing his earphones after his victory, and was therefore ruled to have violated the rules. In other words, the point at issue is not match manipulation or cheating, but whether post-match behavior constitutes provocation or inappropriate behavior.
In the game clips, it can be seen that he was very excited
Video footage from the event shows Firestar73 showing obvious emotion after winning the championship, including taking off and throwing his headphones. Those who support the punishment believe that any form of excessive celebration and provocative behavior should be banned; but opponents point out that compared to the common taunts or more intense behaviors in other competitions, Firestar73’s performance this time is actually relatively restrained.
Where is the boundary of “sports ethics” in e-sports?
Both traditional sports and e-sports have been tightening regulations on players’ words and deeds in recent years. The reason is very practical: for events to be commercialized and open to a wider public, a more consistent stage order is needed. But this incident also made many players feel that the ruling was too harsh. If the championship can be revoked just by throwing away the headphones, are the boundaries drawn too tight? Will it turn into a rigid performance with no emotions and no big celebrations?
There is no official response yet, and social debate is still going on.
At present, the official “Pokémon GO” has not responded to the outside world’s call for “whether to re-examine”, and the discussion is still ongoing. For the audience, the memory point of this game has changed from the content of the battle to the controversial handling of “the championship was withdrawn”, and this is often the ending that hurts the credibility of the event the most.