Core Values

A Professor should strive to adhere to the Spirit of the Game at all times and should encourage his or her fellow players to do the same. Professors are held to a higher standard than the average Pokémon Organized Play member. As such, violations of the Spirit of the Game or the Professor Core Values could result in permanent suspension from the Program.

The Professor Core Values are:

Integrity
A Professor must act with integrity at all times. A Professor should be fair and unbiased, whether judging a tournament or resolving a dispute. Personal feelings about another player can often cloud a judgment call. A Professor must not take these feelings into consideration when resolving an issue between players, parents, venue staff, or spectators.

Honesty
A Professor must be an honest individual. It is critical to the integrity of the Professor Program that its members have a reputation as trustworthy and honest. If players cannot trust a Professor to be honest, they cannot trust that his or her rulings are accurate or events fair. In addition, Pokémon USA may occasionally contact Professors to assist in player or venue investigations. If a Professor has been known to be dishonest, the integrity of the investigation may be jeopardized.

Responsibility
Professors are trusted with a great deal of responsibility. If a Professor is a Tournament Organizer or League Leader, it is critical that all event reporting is done in a timely manner. In addition, a Professor working at an event is responsible for ensuring that all event prizes and participation rewards are handed out according to the event guidelines.

Professionalism
To maintain a higher degree of respect, Professors should act professionally when acting in an official capacity. Foul language, horseplay, smoking, drinking alcohol, and similar activities are unacceptable while actively representing Pokémon. Players, parents, spectators, and venue staff should be addressed courteously, regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or physical or mental capacity. In addition, it is unprofessional to publicly make negative comments about Pokémon, the Pokémon TCG, or Pokémon USA without first trying to resolve these issues with Pokémon USA via private communication. Negative comments made publicly only hurt the brand, the game, the company, and the organized play program.

The relationship between Pokémon USA and a Pokémon Professor is an "at-will" relationship. This means that either party, at any time, for any reason, is free to sever the relationship. If Pokémon USA or the member severs the relationship, the member will no longer be considered a member of the Professor Program and will not be eligible to receive any of the benefits associated with the Professor Program.