Blood of Champion

From The Great Outdoor Fight

Blood of Champion (also known as "The Lineage Exemption" or just "B.O.C.") refers to the right a lineal descendent of a Great Outdoor Fight Champion has to enter the Great Outdoor Fight without first going through regional Qualifying Rounds. Perhaps the most infamous B.O.C. was Fauntleroy Brown, the son of 1966 G.O.F. Champion Stanley "Grip" Brown, who won the 1984 fight after a three day Dutch fugue in which 586 men were maimed or killed.

There have been some movements to strike the Lineage Exemption in recent years, but most Champions support the rule (since it benefits their families directly). As the Champions are the most visible ambassadors of the Fight, organizers are unlikely to do anything that would upset them (ambassadors aside, would YOU want to do something to upset a G.O.F. Champion?).

[edit] Conditions

According to the most recent rulings of the Ruling Body, a contestant shall be allowed into the Fight by virtue of being Blood of Champion if they can demonstrate direct lineal descent to a Champion of the Fight. Evidence proving this lineal connection must be demonstrated before the B.O.C. claim is approved. Typically, in the case of B.O.C. whose ancestor is still living, this comes down to a simple verbal verification. In the words of Young Jude Surrency, when considering the application of Rondell Haynes, "well, shoot! If that sonovabitch is good e'nou for ol' Johnny Haynes, he's good e'nou for me!"

In cases where ancestry is less easy to prove, alternate means of verification are used. Visual appearance is not considered an acceptable means of verifying identity. In recent years, DNA testing has been proposed although it has not yet been employed. Birth records and certificates are often cited. However, the habit of many fighters of fighting under pseudonyms has made birth records equally suspect.

In a practical sense, an applicant for B.O.C. is given the benefit of the doubt even absent evidence if he can prove he belongs in the Fight in the first place. Since the original theory is that blood will tell, the theory is that a man receiving a Lineage Exemption should be able to acquit himself in a hard fight. Rather than go through Qualifiers, B.O.C. applicants are given an opportunity to fight a high ranking veteran of the Fight. By the rules, that opponent would have to have stood at least seventh man left in the previous ten years. However, most of the time a B.O.C. applicant with a dubious claim appears, a former Champion is willing to put him through his paces.

Contrary to popular belief, a B.O.C. applicant doesn't have to beat their opponent to qualify. However, their opponent has to certify that yes, the applicant is Blood of Champion -- in spirit, at the very least. It is generally understood that a B.O.C. applicant who beats his opponent will be accepted as B.O.C. automatically.