{"id":534830,"date":"2026-04-16T21:48:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:48:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/534830\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T21:48:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T21:48:11","slug":"pokemon-go-champion-says-he-didnt-deserve-to-be-disqualified-for-unsportsmanlike-celebration-and-honestly-its-hard-to-disagree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/534830\/","title":{"rendered":"Pok\u00e9mon Go Champion Says He Didn\u2019t Deserve To Be Disqualified For \u2018Unsportsmanlike\u2019 Celebration, And Honestly It\u2019s Hard To Disagree"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, Firestar73, a competitive Pok\u00e9mon Go player who placed seventh at last year\u2019s world championships, managed to narrowly cinch a game-five finals win at the 2026 Pok\u00e9mon Orlando Regional Championships<\/a> after battling his way out of the dreaded losers\u2019 bracket. As stress and adrenaline gave way to relief, Firestar73 stood up from his chair, threw off his headphones, raised his arms in a sort of victorious flexing motion, and then fist pumped for good measure. Immediately afterward, he politely shook his opponent\u2019s hand.<\/p>\n

Considering the circumstances, this seemed like about what you\u2019d expect from a driven but respectful competitor. However, the tournament\u2019s staff went on to deem Firestar73\u2019s conduct \u201cunsportsmanlike\u201d<\/a> and stripped him of his win. After having rigorously reviewed the footage, I submit the following question: Huh?<\/p>\n

Go ahead and watch for yourself:<\/p>\n

After a long loser’s bracket run, @Firestar73_<\/a> wins a decisive game 5 to win the Orlando Regional Championship. Allegedly this celebration was unsportsmanlike, resulting in a game loss and giving NTC The win. I’m at a loss for words, I feel so bad for firestar. pic.twitter.com\/72l1RJO31v<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 AXN (@ItsAXN) April 5, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

The whole celebration lasts around five seconds and seems reasonable enough. I, too, would be pretty darn excited to win a tournament I was on the verge of flunking out of earlier in the day. So what, exactly, gives? It\u2019s unclear. AXN, the 2023 Pok\u00e9mon Go world champion, said he heard<\/a> that Firestar73 threw his headphones too hard. But also, my man\u2019s hands were shaking from the aforementioned adrenaline and stress; I don\u2019t think it\u2019s fair to expect a pillow-soft touch from someone in that state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Barely anyone online agrees that Firestar73 deserved to feel the sweet taste of victory crumble to ashes in his mouth\u2014including Firestar73. In a statement<\/a> released over the weekend, he said that he has officially asked The Pok\u00e9mon Company to reverse its decision:<\/p>\n

I think that person [responsible for the decision] made a good-faith mistake. I am asking everyone involved: Please, DO NOT direct any harassment, threats, or ill will towards ANYONE involved in this. I don\u2019t want to focus on who\u2019s responsible for the past. I want to focus on the future\u2014on why the result should rightly be changed. There are two main reasons. The first is that my celebration wasn\u2019t unsportsmanlike in the context of our community\u2019s history; it was the kind of celebration Play Pok\u00e9mon repeatedly encouraged. And second, even if you assume my actions did cross the line to being unsportsmanlike, they still wouldn\u2019t be the kind of actions that the Play Pok\u00e9mon rules say can get you a one-game loss. For both of those reasons, I\u2019m respectfully asking Play Pok\u00e9mon to reverse its decision.<\/p>\n

Firestar73 went on to provide several examples of other Pok\u00e9mon Go players who celebrated similarly\u2014including headset throws\u2014but did not face anything in the way of consequences. For example:<\/p>\n

And:<\/p>\n

\u201cThese celebrations are not outliers: Play Pok\u00e9mon has told the community that this is the kind of emotion and celebration it wants its tournaments to evoke,\u201d Firestar73 wrote. \u201cIt has repeatedly used Wdage\u2019s celebration to illustrate the kind of excitement and emotion it wants its regional tournament victories to generate. It was part of a montage that was used in multiple<\/a> regionals broadcasts<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aftermath reached out to The Pok\u00e9mon Company to ask whether it plans to review or reverse the tournament results, but did not receive a reply as of this publishing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe that the Tournament Organizer who ruled against me made a good-faith mistake,\u201d wrote Firestar73. \u201cThey probably don\u2019t have the same exposure to our community\u2019s history as the hundreds of dedicated trainers around the world who all disagree with the ruling. \u2026 It would not be an insult to the Tournament Organizer to overturn their decision; it would simply be an acknowledgement that someone who probably didn\u2019t know as much about our community\u2019s history was put in a difficult spot, tried to make the right decision, and just got it wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recommended<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Battle Patent Reexamination A \u2018Disruption Of The Normal Status Quo,\u2019 Says IP Law Expert – Aftermath<\/p>\n

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has ordered the reexamination of a controversial battling patent.<\/p>\n

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