Fool's Goal Maneuver

The Performance That Popularized Phaseball

During the last game of Phaseball's 25th Cycle Playoffs, one of the Lasers' coaches (known by her player nickname, Fool), rejoins her team as a player and, using a daring last-second maneuver, leads them to a stunning victory over their rivals, the Rings.

The combination of the upset win over the reigning Phaseball champions and the unprecedented comeback of a favorite player creates a huge media sensation for both Phaseball and Fool. And then, shortly afterwards, Fool and her daughter, Little Fool, utterly disappear. Unable to use Fool herself in publicity, the PLGA establishes a ceremony in her honor — Fool’s Goal — which is still performed during the awards ceremony after each playoff series.

The PLGA successfully uses the excitement over the last game, the mystery of the Fool’s disappearance, and the Fool’s Goal ceremony to promote and expand Phaseball — which ultimately becomes the main team sport of the Grand Society.

The Match

Prelude

Twenty-five cycles (44 years) after the PLGA is founded, Phaseball is a minor team sport of the upper classes. But the PLGA has bigger plans — to make the sport the most popular (and profitable) team sport in the Grand Society.

They launch a sweeping promotional campaign before and during the 25th cycle playoffs, hoping to generate wide-spread and enduring interest in the sport.

Playing Field

The final series takes place in the constructed and recently expanded arena of Vecu, the capital planet of The Caelum and political center of the Grand Society — which guarantees the attendance of a large number of Grand Society elites.

Publicity

Fortunately, the two fiercest and most watched rivals reach the final series of games. The PLGA promotes it as a highly anticipated showdown between the Lasers, home team of Vecu, and their rivals the Rings, reigning champions and home team of Sethlans.

With the support of the princes of Vecu and Sethlans, the PLGA convinces the media to broadcast live coverage to all the central and major worlds in celebration of Phaseball’s 25th anniversary.

The games are fast-paced and competitive. The players are in top form. The teams evenly matched. Every score achieved with great effort and superb skill. In each phase, both teams’ maneuvers become ever more daring and unexpected. Each game is more intense than the previous one, and excitement sweeps through the Grand Society. More and more people watch, and total viewership reaches a new high.

During the fourth game, the Lasers just barely manage to win — keeping the series tied — but two of their key players are too injured to play in the final game. And while the Rings’ players are tired, they are relatively healthy. The media and the viewers expect the final game to be a boring win for the Rings. People are invested enough to watch it, but the PLGA needs the final game to be engaging enough to capture a percentage of the viewers as longterm fans.

In a risky move, they insist that the Lasers bring in Fool, currently a coach, as a player. The PLGA hypes her addition to the game by reminding the existing fans of her stellar reputation and unpredictable playing style — and introduce her to the new viewers with clips of some of her most innovative blocks and scores. It’s a desperate move to keep the final game interesting, even though everyone knows the Rings will win.

Lineup

The Rings' players are tired, but relatively healthy and eager to crush their rivals and retain their championship title. The Lasers' players are drained and demoralized. Without their two key players, they think they have little hope of defeating the stronger and brutish Rings.

Facing an inevitable loss and under pressure from the PLGA to replace one of the injured with Fool, the Lasers decide that Fool might be able to disrupt their opponent’s strategy and tactics. So, shocking sports commentators and surprising fans, they not only re-introduce 41L, an old player known as Fool, but replace all but one of the starting players with second string players.

The PLGA officials are satisfied with the final lineup — determining that it enables a better chance of a thrilling game and, at the very least, engages the audience with a “last look” at the famous and unorthodox player.

“Whoa, look at this. The Lasers have announced they’re adding 41L to the player lineup.”

“Wait. 41L — that’s Fool. But she’s one of the coaches.”

“Well, she was a player.”

“Who retired over 20 years ago. She must be in her 60s by now.”

“It says she’s certified fit enough to play.”

“Wow, she must have really stayed in shape. Or… she’s a poly-lifer.”

“Ehhh… Well, she’ll certainly make the game interesting.”

”What do you mean?”

”Have you ever watched her video clips? Completely unpredictable player. Crazy and unexpected maneuvers. Delightful to watch. The crowd loved her. And the fans adored her.”

”But that was then. She can’t compete with modern players. And the Rings players aren’t going to hold back because she’s a woman.”

”She was the first woman player. And just as good as the men. Not as strong, but she compensated with her speed and tactics…. Huh? Oh.”

“What?”

”Hot mic.”

—Two sports broadcasters on a hot mic

The Encounter

Unexpectedly, Fool dominates the game. Using her experience, wisdom, and coaching expertise, she directs her ostensibly weaker team to keep up with the stronger Rings. For each goal the Rings score with relative ease, the Lasers counter with one of their own hard-won goals.

Fool changes her team's dynamics as well. In the previous games, the Lasers' two star players, now on the sidelines, focused on gaining individual recognition and improving their personal statistics. They scored nearly every goal and handled all the major plays — often to the detriment of the team’s overall performance.

During THIS game, under Fool’s direction, the Lasers perform as a synergetic team, skillfully moving around the arena, making impressive plays, and blocking their opponents. Each Laser player scores — often with an unobtrusive assist by Fool, keeping her teammates and not herself in the limelight. The Lasers’ morale soars as they bask in the crowd’s cheers.

The audience watches intently as the Rings’ players find they cannot outscore or outplay the Lasers. And as the game progresses through the phases, the Rings learn that their renowned ability to physically intimidate their opponents is often countered by the Lasers new tactics and improved teamwork. The playing intensity increases with every goal and each Phase ends in a tie score.

Then in the final seconds of the last phase, with the game still tied, Fool executes an incredibly complex and electrifying maneuver, faking out both teams and outplaying her three nearby opponents to score the winning goal an instant before the countdown timer buzzes.

The crowd, which includes rulers and wealthy upper class from many of the Grand Society worlds, goes wild. The media commentators are stunned, unable to describe what they saw — except for one who manages to shout, “Fool’s Goal.”

Outcome

The Lasers win. Phaseball is a media sensation. The award ceremony is broadcast live the next day to all of the central and major worlds. Many people watch and most of them are puzzled by the unfamiliar Phaseball conventions.

The players are identified only by their gamer handle and wear their sports outfits which cover their faces and bodies. They stand quietly to the back of the podium while the team owner, general manager, and head coach accept the award and make their statements.

After intense audience feedback and demands to see and hear from the players themselves — without their helmets — the broadcasters insist on another press conference. And above all, they want to see Fool. The PLGA is not happy about the demands and reluctantly agrees to present the players.

The audience and broadcasters alike eagerly look forward to Fool’s interview and become incensed when she doesn’t show up at the press conference. The Lasers and the PLGA immediately search for her and discover that Fool and her daughter, known as Little Fool, disappeared sometime between the award ceremony and the press conference — with no trace as to how they left or where they went.

The PLGA quickly responds to the fans’ irritation by announcing that they had intended to give Fool a newly created award for the most valuable player and would still do so in her absence. The audience and the broadcasters switch focus to the rest of the players along with the news that several of the richest Houses plan to sponsor more teams and build additional arenas.

Aftermath

The authorities, the media, the Lasers, and the PLGA search for Fool, but no traces of either her or her daughter are ever found.

To compensate for their inability to use Fool herself to promote Phaseball, the PLGA decides to honor her with a new tradition. As part of the awards ceremony at the end of the final playoffs of each season, the most valuable player will perform a ceremonial reenactment of Fool’s final scoring maneuver — Fool’s Goal.

Over time, the Fool’s Goal award ceremony and her disappearance turn her into a legend, a legend with a mystery — neither her true name nor any visual media showing her physical appearance survive.

“What do you mean the only real images of Fool are with her suited up? No one can see what she looks like in that.”

“That’s all we could find.”

“What about video of her coaching from the sidelines?”

“There’s none. If there was ever any, it’s gone now.”

“What about having someone draw her from memory?”

“Well, we’ve got these sketches based on some glimpses by visitors to the Lasers’ practices. They’re all different, and the team players and staff describe her only in the most general terms.”

“Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to keep her appearance and identity secret. We should dive into that.”

“Yeah, about that. You remember Hawk? Well, his last message was he had found something.”

“Well, what did he find?”

“It was his LAST message. He’s disappeared. And before you ask, the rest of the staff have informed me they are ‘too busy’ on other projects.”

“What?!?”

“They have families, boss. I do, too. And so do you.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“The higher ups want more news coverage on this. Maybe just report on some of the various rumors. Make sure to mention they’re only speculation.”

“Yeah, that seems safe enough.”

—Two news editors discussing an assignment

Key Facts

Conflict Type: Sports Event

Playing Field Type: Stadium
Location: Vecu

Date: 4950.25.23 JS / 380.3.6 GS

Conflict Result

The Lasers, in a surprise upset directed by Fool, triumph over the Rings. The PLGA adds the Fool’s Goal maneuver to playoff award ceremonies, and Phaseball begins its journey toward becoming the primary team sport for the Grand Society.