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This is the week where Team America fired Matt Damon out of a torpedo tube and killed Usama bin Laden. In the south, thousands of families dig out from beneath the wake of the terrible power of nature.

Oh, and Justin Wong threw a match at PowerUp.

The EVO “Tournament Committee” has stripped @jwonggg of his EVO placement points after ruling that Justin did not compete “in good faith” during his match against Noel Brown in Marvel vs. Capcom 3’s loser’s finals at PowerUp. They’ve also issued him a “yellow card”, which is their official way of saying, “Do it again and ya’ done, son.”

The question I’m left with is: who cares?

Instead, let’s analyze things from another angle and play devil’s advocate. Let’s say, for the sake of argument, Justin did, in fact, choose to throw the match. Is that wrong?

Splitting pots, bracket fixing, throwing matches, this sort of thing happens at tournaments. It happens a lot. There are players out there that allow their ego, their greed, or both to get the best of them, and they cut corners. With tournaments routinely paying out thousands of dollars to first place, and even locals worth a few hundred in your pocket, there will always be someone willing to slap everyone else in the face, including friends, with their metaphorical genitals for personal profit.

Is that what happened here?

Obviously, astute readers, and I’m sure you’re one of them, can acknowledge that some offenses are more flagrant, more grievous than others. If Justin did do the things for which he’s accused, how black is that on the grayscale gradient of morality?

In short? Beige.

At the end of the day, two guys faced off in loser’s finals that both deserved to be there. One of the primary arguments I see being tossed about is that Justin’s actions, if true, served to put someone into a sacred position they did not deserve: an EVO tournament seed. However, this ignores the fact that Noel Brown battled his way into loser’s finals.

In addition, if Justin owns his half of the match, isn’t it his to do with as he wishes? If he would have simply forfeited the match, would he have been awarded no points? Have gotten a yellow card? Would someone have kidnapped his Pokemon and threatened to trade them for 400 Magikarps if he hadn’t played? If he chooses to forfeit to a friend or acquaintance but chooses to have some fun in the process, which is essentially what this would have been, then where does the problem lie?

There are many within the community that are understandably gun shy with regards to accusations of manipulation and underhanded deeds in tournament settings. I wouldn’t insult them. There are some very real instances of tampering on display all too often that affect outcomes for the worse: players buying out opponents early in a bracket that they feel could keep them from making it to finals, offering to split pots with someone you feel can beat you. This doesn't belong in their company.

I don’t think Noel Brown would take offense to me saying that Justin Wong is probably the best Marvel player in the world. Even throwing a winner’s bracket match versus Noel, or anyone for that matter, what does he stand to gain? Even less than he would tossing a loser’s match. A split pot he could have easily taken for himself completely, if he chose?

Having said that, even if some nefarious plots turn out to be tinted a Prada shade of beige instead of cloaked in evil warlock black, is that acceptable? Some feel as if any match should be played to the fullest. To them, this is an affront. They value the principle at stake. Something must be done.

I do not envy the position of any decision-maker behind the scenes at EVO HQ. Once the public accusations started to fly, however ill-reasoned they may be, tournament organizers were placed into a position where some sort of action must be taken to preserve the integrity of the process for everyone. It would be a simple matter to call foul if you were caught playing dishonestly, legitimately or no, if you could point to something like this and a lack of disciplinary response.

If there is a silver lining, one might say that this sort of incident raises awareness about dishonest behavior at tournaments. It may prove to be the silver lining to a thunderhead; some may begin to see villains lurking behind every corner, ready to snatch up wayward maidens and tie them to railroad tracks in order to steal the deed to the ranch.

Ultimately, these sort of issues seem destined to be decided in the echo chamber of public opinion. There are no winners. Just a lot of harumphing before the pitchforks are fetched. What now? It seems everyone will sally forth now that the torches are burning out. Justin’s reaction to the news probably says the most about what may or may not have happened, in the end.

Speaking of what may have happened, did you hear they just threw bin Laden off a ship? Yeah, right. Two months, tops, new Tupac track featuring bin Laden on the remix.