[WiZ] Sporting Chance

[WiZ]

A boy sells a defunct piece of sports equipment for a hundred times the purchase price. It has no value as a collector's item. What had happened?

BOATS. Caveat Earlispoilor.

[Zanreo]

Relevant what sport? A ball? Something you hold? Shoes? Other clothing? Did the buyer need a specific part of it?

[WiZ]

Relevant what sport? Yes. NB: There are multiple sports for which this solution could work. A ball? Something you hold? Shoes? No to these Other clothing? yope Did the buyer need a specific part of it? no

[Zanreo]

Some kind of protective equipment? Did the buyer specifically want a broken one?

[WiZ]

Some kind of protective equipment? yes Did the buyer specifically want a broken one? yes

[Doriana]

A helmet? a mouthguard? a shoulder pad? elbow pad? rib pad? knee pad? a jockstrap? protective cup?

[Enjay]

Did the boy give the buyer anything else relevant along with the defunct item?

Did the buyer take possession of the item? If so, did they intend to keep it? Display it? Use it? Fix it? Sell it? Give it away?

Is it a glove?

Is it relevant exactly how it is defunct? Is it broken in such a way that it can't be worn? That it no longer serves its protective purpose?

Is it relevant how the item was sold? In person? Online?

Was the buyer fully aware of what they were buying?

Had the item been worn/used by any relevant person?

[dukhsan]

If the item has no conventional collector's value, can the buyer still sell it to someone else for a profit somehow, or indirectly benefit otherwise from buying it? Is the boy blackmailing the buyer or anything similar?

Is the buyer purchasing it for sentimental reasons? Purchasing it due to the person that wore it? Is it a legal transaction?

Did the boy himself use the item? Do we need to know if it was a boy/girl/woman/man of any particular age who used it? Do we need to know who or what made the item defunct/broken? Does the time period matter, and/or could this occur any time or only in select moments?

[WiZ]

Doriana

A helmet? yes, no to rest a mouthguard? a shoulder pad? elbow pad? rib pad? knee pad? a jockstrap? protective cup?

Enjay

Did the boy give the buyer anything else relevant along with the defunct item? no - at least not tangibly

Did the buyer take possession of the item? yes If so, did they intend to keep it? Yes, at least in the short term Display it? yes Use it? no (assuming you mean for its original intended use) Fix it? Sell it? Give it away? no to these

Is it a glove? no

Is it relevant exactly how it is defunct? yes Is it broken in such a way that it can't be worn? That it no longer serves its protective purpose? both

Is it relevant how the item was sold? perhaps for context In person? yes Online? no

Was the buyer fully aware of what they were buying? yes

Had the item been worn/used by any relevant person? yes

Dukhsan

If the item has no conventional collector's value, can the buyer still sell it to someone else for a profit somehow, or indirectly benefit otherwise from buying it? no Is the boy blackmailing the buyer or anything similar? no

Is the buyer purchasing it for sentimental reasons? no Purchasing it due to the person that wore it? yesish Is it a legal transaction? yes

Did the boy himself use the item? yes Do we need to know if it was a boy/girl/woman/man of any particular age who used it? no (there is arguably a little currency in the fact that it was a child) Do we need to know who or what made the item defunct/broken? yes Does the time period matter, and/or could this occur any time or only in select moments? 20th/21st century; no more details are needed

[Zanreo]

Was something hidden inside the helmet?

[WiZ]

Was something hidden inside the helmet? no (apart from a boy's haircut)

[dukhsan]

Was the boy who wore it famous? Did the helmet end up in some museum or private collection, or was it used in an advertisement, film, photography project, or other media?

Was the buyer any of someone who made football equipment, an insurance agent (for sports players, etc.), a government employee, or a doctor?

Did the buyer contribute to the helmet breaking? Did it break in a way that was seemingly impossible or had (almost) never happened up until that point? Was it one intact yet ruined piece or became several pieces, and does this matter?

Did the helmet break during a football/etc. game? During normal use, or during a freak accident/unprecedented circumstance?

[WiZ]

Was the boy who wore it famous? no Did the helmet end up in some museum or private collection no, or was it used in an advertisement this, very good , film, photography project, or other media?

Was the buyer any of someone who made football equipment no but very much ORT - check what we've established so far , an insurance agent (for sports players, etc.), a government employee, or a doctor? no to these

Did the buyer contribute to the helmet breaking? no Did it break in a way that was seemingly impossible or had (almost) never happened up until that point? no Was it one intact yet ruined piece or became several pieces, and does this matter? It became several pieces, but this isn't especially relevant

Did the helmet break during a football/etc. game? It broke in the course of the sports being practiced, yes During normal use, or during a freak accident/unprecedented circumstance? It broke in an accident

[trebor]

Was it bought to be used in an ad for the company that made it? For a competitor? For an organisation promoting a cause? (Reduced head injuries, concussion awareness, etc.?) Modern day helmet? Is the helmet being portrayed as a positive thing in the ad? Is it meant to symbolise an injured child? A dead child?

Was the child who sold the helmet the same one wearing it when it was damaged? Did the child wearing it sustain a significant injury? Was the money from the sale used towards their recovery? Is there a relevant reason why the buyer couldn’t just buy a cheap helmet from someone and beat it up?

I’m under the assumption that he original purchase price was a normal one and that the helmet wasn’t already discounted. Is this a reasonable assumption?

[WiZ]

Was it bought to be used in an ad for the company that made it? yes For a competitor? no For an organisation promoting a cause? (Reduced head injuries, concussion awareness, etc.?) no (although the organisation presumably held the cause to be important enough to produce an item in aid of it) Modern day helmet? yes Is the helmet being portrayed as a positive thing in the ad? yes Is it meant to symbolise an injured child? A dead child? no to both

Was the child who sold the helmet the same one wearing it when it was damaged? yes Did the child wearing it sustain a significant injury? not relevantly, although this is medically quite likely Was the money from the sale used towards their recovery? irrelevant Is there a relevant reason why the buyer couldn’t just buy a cheap helmet from someone and beat it up? Yes

I’m under the assumption that he original purchase price was a normal one and that the helmet wasn’t already discounted. Is this a reasonable assumption? correct

[GalFisk]

Relevant exactly what damage the helmet had? How it was damaged? When? By whom? Relevant that he in particular wore it? Or would they have paid the same if another kid was involved? His age when the helmet was damaged relevant? Were others offered money for damaged helmets? Was it damaged while practicing the sport it was meant for? Was the damage relevantly: great? Slight? Unusual? Did the ad show this helmet to be especially durable? Safe? Good value? Famous?

[WiZ]

Relevant exactly what damage the helmet had? Only with regard to the severity How it was damaged? yes When? no By whom? For context Relevant that he in particular wore it? yes Or would they have paid the same if another kid was involved? They would not have paid him if another child was involved His age when the helmet was damaged relevant? no Were others offered money for damaged helmets? no Was it damaged while practicing the sport it was meant for? yes Was the damage relevantly: great? yes; no to rest Slight? Unusual? Did the ad show this helmet to be especially durable? Safe? yes Good value? Famous?

I think you've got it, materially.

***** SPOILER *****

The boy had been involved in a serious climbing (or cycling) accident. His life had been saved by the helmet he was wearing, which was destroyed in the incident. The manufacturer of the helmet paid the boy a large sum of money to display the helmet in an advertisement, as a testament to its life-saving qualities.

Congratulations, GalFisk, on the solution, and thank you everyone for playing!

(Seems I'm writing the 'easy' section as of late!)