League Rulebook & Code of Conduct

1.1 High School Enrollment & Academic Standing

To participate in EZ Esports tournaments and regular season matches, a player must be currently enrolled as a full-time student in grades 9 through 12 at an accredited high school within New York City or an approved partner district.

• Scholastic Standing: Students must maintain satisfactory academic standing as defined by their individual high school or district policies (e.g., meeting minimum GPA or passing course thresholds).
• Disciplinary Standing: Students under active disciplinary suspension or expulsion from their school are ineligible to compete in league fixtures during the period of their suspension.

1.2 Student Age & Standing Limits

Students must not have reached their 19th birthday prior to September 1 of the current academic year. Students who have graduated high school or earned a high school equivalency diploma (GED) prior to the competitive season are not eligible, even if taking supplementary coursework.

1.3 Varsity vs. Junior Varsity (JV) Placement

EZ Esports supports distinct competitive tiers to ensure balanced and fair matches for both premier competitors and developing players:

• Varsity Division: Represents the highest level of competitive play for a school. There are no rank caps, but schools may only field their primary starting roster and registered substitutes.
• Junior Varsity (JV) Division: Geared toward developmental competition. Title-specific in-game rank ceilings may be enforced by league operations to preserve competitive balance.
• Dual-Roster Restriction: A student cannot compete for both a school's Varsity and JV rosters in the same game title during the same match week. If a JV player is called up to play in three (3) or more Varsity matches, they become permanently locked to the Varsity roster for the remainder of the season.

1.4 Multi-School Teams & District Consortia

To support students attending high schools without sufficient player headcount or an official esports program, EZ Esports permits multi-school consortia under strict guidelines:

• A student whose school does not field a team in a particular game title may apply to join a neighboring school's roster within the same educational campus or geographic borough.
• All multi-school team arrangements must receive written approval from the host school's faculty advisor and official clearance from EZ Esports League Operations prior to the roster lock deadline.

1.5 Roster Locks, Substitutes & Verification

All team rosters must be officially submitted via the EZ Esports registration portal. Faculty advisors or club officers must verify player identities and in-game names (IGNs). Rosters lock 72 hours before the start of Week 1 matches. Any mid-season substitution requests must be submitted at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled match and approved by league administrators.

2.1 Zero Tolerance for Third-Party Software & Exploits

EZ Esports maintains an absolute zero-tolerance policy toward cheating, hacking, and unauthorized game modification. Any participant found using external software or unauthorized game modifications will face immediate disciplinary expulsion.

• Prohibited Tools: Aimbots, wallhacks, triggerbots, map hacks, speed hacks, automated macros, network throttling software, and any memory-injecting or client-hooking utilities are strictly forbidden.
• Bug & Glitch Exploits: Intentionally exploiting publisher-unintended glitches, out-of-bounds map breaches, character model geometry exploits, or mechanics under active developer review is prohibited. If an accidental glitch occurs, captains must pause the match immediately and alert league staff.

2.2 Smurfing, Account Sharing & Ringers

Fair competition relies upon transparent identity. Playing under an alias or disguised account subverts the integrity of all matches:

• Account Ownership: Players may only compete using the primary personal account registered and verified on their EZ Esports roster profile.
• Smurfing: Playing on secondary or lower-ranked alternate accounts to gain an unfair advantage or circumvent JV division rank caps is strictly illegal.
• Ringers & Impersonation: Permitting any individual who is not the registered student to play on a registered account—or fielding non-rostered collegiate, alumni, or outside players—is considered severe fraud and will result in immediate match forfeiture and team disqualification.

2.3 Match Recording & Replay Preservation

For games with built-in replay tools (e.g., League of Legends, TETR.IO), both teams are required to retain match replay files. In titles without server-side replays (e.g., Valorant), at least one player per team is strongly recommended to record local POV footage. League officials reserve the right to request replay files or match recordings during any post-match investigation.

3.1 Respectful Communication & Chat Standards

All competitors represent their respective high schools, student bodies, and communities. All communication—whether in game lobbies, all-chat, voice channels, official Discord servers, or social media—must reflect high standards of maturity and mutual respect.

3.2 Prohibition of Toxic Behavior, Harassment & Hate Speech

EZ Esports strictly forbids unsportsmanlike behavior across all league touchpoints:

• Toxic Chat & Taunting: Excessive all-chat taunting, vulgarity, spamming, and inflammatory remarks aimed at demeaning opponents or officials will not be tolerated.
• Zero Tolerance for Hate Speech: Any derogatory remarks, slurs, harassment, or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or religion will result in an immediate, indefinite league ban and formal notification to school administrators.
• Cyberbullying & Doxxing: Targeted online harassment, doxxing, or threats of physical harm directed at any student, coach, or administrator will result in immediate permanent expulsion and potential referral to authorities.

3.3 Representation of Schools & Faculty Oversight

Students are accountable to both the EZ Esports Code of Conduct and their respective school district codes of behavior. School faculty advisors retain full authority to bench or remove students from team rosters for scholastic or behavioral infractions occurring either on campus or within league competition.

4.1 Official Match Times & Check-In Windows

Matches are scheduled weekly according to the official league calendar published on the EZ Esports website. Team captains must check in on the official league Discord server at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled match start time. Both teams must confirm readiness and exchange in-game lobby invites promptly.

4.2 15-Minute Grace Period & Forfeit Criteria

Punctuality is essential to maintain broadcasting schedules and respect competitors' academic obligations:

• Grace Period: A strict 15-minute grace period from the scheduled match start time is granted for technical setup or player arrival.
• Automatic Forfeiture: If a team is unable to field a complete, eligible roster in the game lobby within 15 minutes after scheduled match time, the match is scored as an automatic forfeit (win awarded to the ready team).
• Double Forfeit: If neither team can field a full roster by the expiration of the grace period, a double forfeit will be recorded, resulting in a loss for both programs.

4.3 Rescheduling Protocol

Matches may only be rescheduled due to school-sanctioned events, campus closures, exam conflicts, or documented emergencies:

• Both team captains and/or faculty advisors must agree upon a proposed new match time in writing.
• Reschedule requests must be submitted to League Operations via the designated portal at least 48 hours prior to the original match time.
• All rescheduled matches must be completed before the subsequent week's round of regular season competition commences.

4.4 Match Reporting & Scoreboard Verification

The winning team captain is responsible for reporting final match results within two (2) hours of match completion. Submissions must include uncropped, clear screenshots of the end-game scoreboard displaying player in-game names, statistics, and victory status. The opposing captain has 24 hours to confirm or dispute the reported result.

4.5 Technical Disconnects & Pauses

In titles supporting in-game pauses, each team is allowed a maximum of 10 minutes of tactical or technical pause time per game. Pauses may only be called during freeze time or non-combat phases, with the reason clearly stated in chat. If a player disconnects, teams must pause immediately. Matches will not be remade unless a server-wide crash occurs within the first 60 seconds of play.

5.1 Tiered Penalty Structure

Violations of this Rulebook and Code of Conduct are assessed by the EZ Esports Rules & Operations Committee under a progressive, tiered disciplinary framework:

5.2 Grievance & Dispute Submission

Teams wishing to dispute a match result or report an alleged rules violation must file a formal grievance within 24 hours of match completion. Grievances must be emailed to info@ezesports.org and include:

• Match ID, date, game title, and participating school names.
• Specific rulebook sections alleged to have been violated.
• Verifiable, unedited evidence (e.g., timestamps, video recordings, screenshots, chat logs).

Unsubstantiated claims, edited screenshots, or disputes filed beyond the 24-hour window will not be reviewed.

5.3 Formal Appeals Workflow

A school whose player or roster has been penalized under Tier 2 or higher may appeal the ruling through the following workflow:

1. Written Notice of Appeal: Must be submitted by the school's faculty advisor or designated head coach to League Operations within 48 hours of penalty notification.
2. Committee Review: An independent three-member Appeals Board comprising non-conflicted league officials and advisory board members will review the case record and evidence.
3. Final Ruling: The Appeals Board will render a written verdict within 72 hours of appeal filing. All decisions of the Appeals Board are final and binding for the competitive season.