By Stephen Tsai

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By its nature, sports is about seeking advantages.

Like a diligent CPA, it’s about finding loopholes right up to the line of legality, such as the Philadelphia Eagles’ “Tush Push” or the 1985 Chicago Bears’ aligning 335-pound William “Refrigerator” Perry in the backfield.

It’s about pushing the envelope. LeBron James is 6 feet 8, 250 pounds and built like an Avenger. But he has produced more flops than Adam Sandler. “Actor of the Year,” CJ McCollum once tweeted of King James, with a tear-laughing emoji.

And it’s about mind-messing games. For a contest against Colorado State decades ago, the Hawaii football team walked into a visitors’ locker room painted in pink. The belief is pink induces passivity. Then-UH head coach Bob Wagner ordered the student managers to cover the walls with newspapers. It was a rare time Wagner found sports articles to be positive.

In turn, former UH coach June Jones would play ballads during warmups at Aloha Stadium to lull visiting teams. The blues had the same intention as the pink walls.

Boise State’s old blue jerseys used to blend with its stadium’s blue turf, making it challenging for opposing quarterbacks. When the Texas Longhorns ran the wishbone in the 1970s, it was difficult for defenders to track the brown football from two backs wearing burnt-orange jerseys.

It’s an age-old story some football prospects manipulated the system to improve their stock. The most legendary was receiver Mike Siani’s impressive 40-yard dash at Villanova’s 1972 pro day. It later was revealed the finish cone was only 37 yards from the starting line.

For a pro day several years ago, NFL scouts timed 40-yard dashes on what was believed to be a slightly tilted field at Azusa Pacific. Prospects blazed downfield. For the sprints in the opposite direction — just their luck — a mysterious “ailment” would force them to sit out that segment. They would recover in time to participate in the field drills.

A highlight video led the Rainbow Warriors to recruit a player with safety speed and linebacker ferocity. There were unsubstantiated murmurs that the player was videoed performing some drills while his twin brother was shot doing the others.

Sports is supposed to follow an honor code, which often does not transcend from pickup games to organized contests. At Crane Park, a defender who commits a foul says, “my bad,” and the offense takes out the ball again. In the NBA, Draymond Green badgers the ref. In family volleyball games at Ala Moana Park, the aunties and uncles acknowledge mistakes. In NCAA matches, blockers do the no-touch, spirit-fingered wave.

All of which resulted in the intrusion of the fairness police. Television viewers can narc on a PGA golfer who moved his ball a skosh in the rough. NCAA teams are required to exchange full videos and situational cut-ups of their games. NCAA pitchers are TSA’d when they enter and exit games. And because of the absence of “my bad” admissions — from receivers and outfielders claiming to make catches to blockers denying volleyballs grazing their fingerprints — plays may be challenged, leading to long, long breaks in the action.

This year, the Mountain West implemented an “availability” report for conference football games. Two days ahead of a game, each team will file an initial report designating which players are “questionable” or “out.” Gameday reports are due by three hours prior to the first kick. Reports will be published on the MW website no later than 21⁄2 hours prior to the game. UH and Fresno State will provide availability reports for their Mountain West opener on Saturday.

The intent is to motivate teams to list a relatively accurate depth chart. For the 2016 football game against UH, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh refused to provide a depth chart. In an acknowledgement of the impact of sports betting, the report, it is hoped, will ensure the fairness and accuracy of the odds. It also should discourage a repeat of an incident a few years ago when a self-proclaimed alumnus, wearing an “Aloha” license plate as a medallion, raced around the field during a UH practice. His antics appeared to be a ruse as he identified the injured players.

The Mountain West will impose steep fines for teams providing blatantly inaccurate reports. Cynics wondered whether it would be better to list most players as “questionable.” That would be one way to gain an advantage. After all, the late broadcaster Vin Scully once said of a Los Angeles Dodger: “He’s listed as day-to-day, but then again, aren’t we all?”