Be a star sportsman for a day

The four things you protect as a Sportsman

• 💪
  Fitness

  If Fitness reaches zero, your day ends early with “Carried out on a stretcher”. Your body gave out before the final. You watch the match from a hospital bed with a good view.

  31% of the choices in this role lower it, and 15% raise it.

• ❤️
  Fans

  If Fans reaches zero, your day ends early with “Booed at your own stadium”. The fans turned. The cheers you counted on were replaced by silence.

  17% of the choices in this role lower it, and 38% raise it.

• 🎯
  Focus

  If Focus reaches zero, your day ends early with “Mind gone blank”. The nerves took over. You walk onto the pitch and forget your own name.

  31% of the choices in this role lower it, and 54% raise it.

• 💼
  Sponsors

  If Sponsors reaches zero, your day ends early with “Dropped by every sponsor”. The brands left one by one. Your kit is now sold at a discount.

  15% of the choices in this role lower it, and 19% raise it.

Tips for a better day as a Sportsman

1. Do not chase one number. In every role, a day with all four meters between 50 and 70 beats a day with one meter at 95 and another at 10. As a Sportsman, the danger is rarely the big mistake. It is the quiet neglect of one meter.
2. Watch Fitness most closely. In this role, 31% of choices lower it, which makes it the meter that slips away fastest. Sponsors is the most forgiving, with 15% of choices lowering it.
3. Read your advisors as opinions, not answers. Each one backs the option that helps the meters they care about, so when they disagree, ask which meter you can least afford to lose today.
4. Look for the choice that gives you something back. Many of the best options cost one meter a little and help two others. The tempting “easy” option often costs more than it seems.
5. Remember that choices can come back. A decision in the morning may return as a follow-up situation later in the day, so a quick fix early on can be expensive at six in the evening.

A sample day, step by step

Here is one example of how a careful player might get through a day as a Sportsman. It uses six of the sixteen situations, picks the option with the best overall balance each time, and shows what each choice did. Your own day will be different, because situations are drawn at random and some choices bring follow-ups later.

1. 7:00 AM

   Dinner time

   The team nutritionist has planned a dull meal. The hotel is serving your favourite street food downstairs.

   Chosen: “Eat the plain plan”. Chicken, rice and quiet discipline.

   💪 Fitness +10

   The road not taken: “Have one small bite of each”. A smart compromise. A small happiness.

   Standing after this call: 💪 60 · ❤️ 50 · 🎯 50 · 💼 50

2. 9:30 AM

   Dawn training

   Your coach wants a full-intensity session at 7 AM. You slept badly, and the final is tomorrow.

   Chosen: “Do a light jog and rest”. Gentle, smart and a little boring. Your mind clears.

   🎯 Focus +10

   The road not taken: “Skip it”. You sleep well. Your coach writes your name in red.

   Standing after this call: 💪 60 · ❤️ 50 · 🎯 60 · 💼 50

3. 12:00 PM

   The rival on TV

   Your biggest rival says on live TV that you are “overrated and nervous”. The clip is everywhere.

   Chosen: “Answer on the field tomorrow”. You say nothing and let the fire build.

   ❤️ Fans +5🎯 Focus +15

   The road not taken: “Reply on social media”. Your fans love it. Your focus does not.

   Standing after this call: 💪 60 · ❤️ 55 · 🎯 75 · 💼 50

4. 3:00 PM

   A kid on the practice ground

   A young player asks if you can play a game of one-on-one. Your warm-up time is running out.

   Chosen: “Play for five minutes”. The kid will tell this story forever.

   💪 Fitness −3❤️ Fans +15🎯 Focus +5

   The road not taken: “Say you are busy”. True and cold.

   Standing after this call: 💪 57 · ❤️ 70 · 🎯 80 · 💼 50

5. 6:00 PM

   The late-night video call

   Your family calls at midnight to wish you luck. You want to stay awake for them, and also to sleep.

   Chosen: “Talk for an hour”. The best hour of your week and your sleep is shorter.

   💪 Fitness −5🎯 Focus +10

   The road not taken: “Send a voice note and sleep”. Your sleep thanks you. Your mother sends you a long voice note back.

   Standing after this call: 💪 52 · ❤️ 70 · 🎯 90 · 💼 50

6. 9:00 PM

   A twinge in your ankle

   Your ankle twinges during warm-up. It is small, but you know it.

   Chosen: “See the physio and rest”. It is the sensible choice. The coach looks relieved.

   💪 Fitness +10❤️ Fans −5🎯 Focus −5

   The road not taken: “Tell nobody and play on”. You tell yourself it is nothing. The ankle disagrees.

   Standing after this call: 💪 62 · ❤️ 65 · 🎯 85 · 💼 50

Situations you may face

Every game uses six of these sixteen situations, so you will not meet them all in one day. There are also 4 follow-up situations that return after specific choices and 3 surprises that can appear without warning.

• Dawn training. Your coach wants a full-intensity session at 7 AM. You slept badly, and the final is tomorrow.
• The ad shoot. A sponsor wants to film an ad this afternoon. It will take four hours and a lot of smiling.
• Fans outside the hotel. A crowd is chanting your name outside the hotel. Some of them have been there since dawn.
• A twinge in your ankle. Your ankle twinges during warm-up. It is small, but you know it.
• The rival on TV. Your biggest rival says on live TV that you are “overrated and nervous”. The clip is everywhere.
• Dinner time. The team nutritionist has planned a dull meal. The hotel is serving your favourite street food downstairs.
• A friend dropped from the squad. Your coach left your closest friend out of the final squad. He is sitting alone in the corridor.
• The retirement question. A reporter asks if this is your last final. Rumours say you are about to retire.
• An unwanted message. An unknown number sends you a message offering a huge payment to “lose a little”.
• A young fan’s letter. A child waiting at the gate hands you a handwritten letter and a drawing of you lifting the trophy.
• A new boot. A sponsor sends a brand-new boot for tomorrow. It looks incredible and has never been worn.
• The late-night video call. Your family calls at midnight to wish you luck. You want to stay awake for them, and also to sleep.
• The team prank. Your team has filled your hotel room with balloons. It is ten at night.
• A kid on the practice ground. A young player asks if you can play a game of one-on-one. Your warm-up time is running out.
• A big offer from abroad. A rich foreign club wants to sign you before the final. Your agent wants an answer today.
• Strange weather. The forecast shows heavy rain on the day of the final. The pitch may be slippery.

Every ending (spoilers)