refactor(sports): merge the sports_shared/sports_card twins that behave identically (#626)

* refactor(sports): wrap the sports_card twins that behave identically

SportsCoreSharedMixin (switch mode, via each scoreboard's sports.py) and
sports_card (scroll/Vegas mode, via game_renderer.py) carried the same
helpers twice. test/test_sports_twins.py now calls every pair with the
same inputs -- the eight scoreboards' harness fixture games in flat,
flat+nested and nested-only shapes, plus edge cases (favourites by id and
abbreviation, NRL's colliding abbreviations, missing and non-numeric
scores, bad zones, out-of-range dates, shared font faces).

Identical pairs become thin wrappers over the sports_card function:
_card_option, _vs_text, _format_game_time, _coerce_rgb, _crisp_size (with
the class's own tables), _unshare_element_fonts (with the class's own
element map, via a new optional argument), and the colour/month/weekday/
font-grid tables (dicts copied, not aliased). _format_game_date shares the
card's formatting body but keeps its own setting, weekday zone and month
table; _schema_font_size shares the parser but keeps its per-class cache,
because a reloaded plugin gets new classes and a shared path cache would
stop it seeing an edited schema. _resolve_font_size agrees but keeps its
body so it still dispatches through the overridable hooks.

No behaviour change: old and new mixin/card agree on all 22,994
comparisons over the test corpus, and the pairs that do differ
(favourite-result colours on nested payloads and by favourites source,
the weekday's timezone, the element-name map, per-mode colours) are left
alone and pinned in TestPinnedDivergence for an owner decision.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

* test(sports): pin that an ambiguous NRL abbreviation tints in both modes

NRL's resolver passes a shared abbreviation ("NEW") through with an error
and its _is_favorite_game matches ids only, but both favourite-colour
helpers match on abbreviation as well, so both display modes tint a
Knights or Warriors result for a user who typed "NEW". The twins agree;
neither consults the _favorite_key seam. Pinned so a fix is deliberate.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -81,6 +81,23 @@ floor on the release that ships them):
 - `src.common.api_helper`: `USER_AGENT`, `DEFAULT_HTTP_HEADERS` (read-only).
 - `src.logo_downloader`: `fetch_logo`, `save_png_atomically`,
   `shared_downloader`.
+- `src.common.sports_card.unshare_element_fonts` takes an optional third
+  argument, `element_for_font` (default: the module's `ELEMENT_FOR_FONT`, so
+  existing calls are unchanged).
+
+### Sports twins
+
+- The `SportsCoreSharedMixin` helpers that behave identically to their
+  `sports_card` twins (`_card_option`, `_vs_text`, `_format_game_time`,
+  `_coerce_rgb`, `_crisp_size`, `_unshare_element_fonts`, the colour/month/
+  weekday/font-grid tables) are now thin wrappers over the `sports_card`
+  functions, and `_format_game_date` / `_schema_font_size` share its
+  formatting body and schema parser. No method was removed or renamed and
+  nothing renders differently: `test/test_sports_twins.py` checks each pair
+  against the same inputs, and the old and new mixin agree on every input
+  there. The pairs that do differ -- favourite-result colours on nested
+  payloads, the weekday's timezone, the element-name map, per-mode colours --
+  are left as they are and pinned in that test.
 
 ### Logo downloads
 

src/common/sports_card.py

@@ -339,6 +339,18 @@ def format_game_date(config: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], logger, date_text: str,
     if not raw:
         return ""
     fmt = str(scroll_card_option(config, "date_format", "abbrev") or "abbrev")
+    return _format_date_as(fmt, raw, lambda: weekday_for(config, logger, game))
+
+
+def _format_date_as(fmt: str, raw: str, weekday, months=MONTH_ABBR) -> str:
+    """Render a stripped, non-empty "M/D" *raw* in style *fmt*.
+
+    The body both date formatters share. They differ in which setting names the
+    style and in which zone the weekday is taken from (see
+    ``SportsCoreSharedMixin._format_game_date``), so those arrive as arguments:
+    *weekday* is a zero-argument callable, only called for the "weekday" style.
+    *months* lets the mixin keep reading its (overridable) ``_MONTH_ABBR``.
+    """
     if fmt == "numeric":
         return raw
     parts = raw.replace("-", "/").split("/")
@@ -347,14 +359,14 @@ def format_game_date(config: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], logger, date_text: str,
     month, day = int(parts[0]), int(parts[1])
     if not 1 <= month <= 12:
         return raw
-    name = MONTH_ABBR[month - 1]
+    name = months[month - 1]
     if fmt == "numeric_day_first":
         return f"{day}/{month}"
     if fmt == "day_first":
         return f"{day} {name}"
     if fmt == "weekday":
-        weekday = weekday_for(config, logger, game)
+        day_name = weekday()
-        return f"{weekday} {name} {day}" if weekday else f"{name} {day}"
+        return f"{day_name} {name} {day}" if day_name else f"{name} {day}"
     return f"{name} {day}"
 
 
@@ -388,6 +400,29 @@ def format_game_time(config: Optional[Dict[str, Any]], time_text: str) -> str:
 _SCHEMA_FONT_SIZE_CACHE: Dict[str, Dict[str, int]] = {}
 
 
+def _read_schema_font_sizes(schema_path: str) -> Dict[str, int]:
+    """``{element: font_size default}`` from a config_schema.json. Raises.
+
+    The parse both schema-default lookups share. Each keeps its own cache --
+    this function per schema path, ``SportsCoreSharedMixin._schema_font_size``
+    per class -- because the lifetimes differ: a class is rebuilt when the
+    display service reloads a plugin, a module-level path cache is not. One
+    cache would change when a reloaded plugin sees an edited schema.
+    """
+    import json
+    with open(schema_path) as fh:
+        schema = json.load(fh)
+    props = (schema.get('properties', {})
+                   .get('customization', {})
+                   .get('properties', {}))
+    sizes: Dict[str, int] = {}
+    for key, spec in props.items():
+        size = spec.get('properties', {}).get('font_size', {}).get('default')
+        if size is not None:
+            sizes[key] = int(size)
+    return sizes
+
+
 def schema_font_size(schema_path: str, element_key) -> Optional[int]:
     """The font_size this plugin's config_schema.json declares, or None.
 
@@ -399,18 +434,8 @@ def schema_font_size(schema_path: str, element_key) -> Optional[int]:
         return None
     cache = _SCHEMA_FONT_SIZE_CACHE.get(schema_path)
     if cache is None:
-        cache = {}
         try:
-            import json
+            cache = _read_schema_font_sizes(schema_path)
-            with open(schema_path) as fh:
-                schema = json.load(fh)
-            props = (schema.get('properties', {})
-                           .get('customization', {})
-                           .get('properties', {}))
-            for key, spec in props.items():
-                size = spec.get('properties', {}).get('font_size', {}).get('default')
-                if size is not None:
-                    cache[key] = int(size)
         except Exception as exc:
             # See sports_shared._schema_font_size: an unreadable schema
             # silently disables the pixel-grid snap for every element.
@@ -444,7 +469,7 @@ def resolve_font_size(schema_path: str, element_config, element_key,
     return crisp_size(font_name, default_size, aliases, grid_table)
 
 
-def unshare_element_fonts(logger, fonts):
+def unshare_element_fonts(logger, fonts, element_for_font=None):
     """Give each colourable element its own face object.
 
     The colour a draw gets is resolved from the face it was handed, and
@@ -459,13 +484,21 @@ def unshare_element_fonts(logger, fonts):
     the ability to tell two elements apart does. Faces that cannot be
     rebuilt (a BDF loaded through freetype.Face, anything without a usable
     path) are left shared, and their draws stay white as before.
+
+    *element_for_font* names the font keys to consider, in order (the first
+    holder of a face keeps it); it defaults to this module's
+    :data:`ELEMENT_FOR_FONT`. ``SportsCoreSharedMixin`` passes its own map,
+    which names different keys -- see ``resolve_font_color`` for why the two
+    vocabularies are kept apart.
     """
     try:
         from src.common.font_layout import load_truetype as _load
     except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
         return fonts
+    if element_for_font is None:
+        element_for_font = ELEMENT_FOR_FONT
     seen = {}
-    for key in ELEMENT_FOR_FONT:
+    for key in element_for_font:
         font = fonts.get(key)
         if font is None:
             continue

src/common/sports_shared.py

@@ -64,14 +64,27 @@ live here. Only ``_SCORE_PROBE_TEXT`` varies -- afl and basketball reach three d
 a side and override it, the same two that override ``_SCORE_PROBE`` on
 ``SportsGameRendererMixin``.
 
-DELIBERATELY NOT MERGED WITH sports_card
+TWINS IN sports_card
-----------------------------------------
+--------------------
-Fourteen of these have same-named twins in ``src/common/sports_card.py``, which
+Many of these have same-named twins in ``src/common/sports_card.py``, which the
-the scoreboards' ``game_renderer.py`` already uses. They are NOT wired together
+scoreboards' ``game_renderer.py`` uses. ``test/test_sports_twins.py`` calls
-here. Only five are provably equivalent by source comparison; the other nine
+each pair with the same inputs (the plugins' fixture games in every payload
-differ in ways inspection cannot settle, and a wrong guess silently changes what
+shape, plus edge cases) and splits them in two:
-every scoreboard draws. Merging them needs differential testing against both
+
-implementations, and is left for its own change.
+- Identical: ``_card_option``, ``_vs_text``, ``_format_game_time``,
+  ``_coerce_rgb``, ``_crisp_size``, ``_unshare_element_fonts`` (given the same
+  element map) and the constant tables. These are now thin wrappers over the
+  ``sports_card`` function; ``_format_game_date`` and ``_schema_font_size``
+  share its body/parser while keeping their own setting, zone and cache.
+  ``_resolve_font_size`` agrees too but keeps its body, because it dispatches
+  through the overridable ``_schema_font_size``/``_crisp_size``.
+- Different, and pinned as they are: ``_side_is_favorite`` /
+  ``_favorite_result`` / ``_recent_score_color`` (flat keys and the host's
+  favourites only), ``_weekday_for`` (the plugin's resolved zone, not
+  ``config["timezone"]``), ``_font_color`` / ``_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT`` (another
+  element vocabulary), ``_element_color`` (passes ``SKIN_MODE``). Each shows
+  up in one display mode only, so which side is right is a product decision;
+  the test that pins it names the difference.
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -87,6 +100,7 @@ import pytz
 from src.common.espn_dates import fetch_espn_scoreboard
 import requests
 from PIL import Image, ImageDraw, ImageFont
+from src.common import sports_card as _card
 from src.common.font_layout import load_truetype
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -171,19 +185,17 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
     _ELEMENT_FOR_FONT: ClassVar[Dict[str, str]] = {
         "score": "score_text", "time": "period_text", "team": "team_text",
         "detail": "detail_text", "status": "status_text"}
+    # The tables below are sports_card's (and font_layout's) values. The dicts
+    # are copies, so a caller that mutates one module's table -- or a subclass
+    # that replaces it -- does not reach into the other.
     #: Default tint for a favourite team's finished game.
-    FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS: ClassVar[Dict[str, Tuple[int, int, int]]] = {
+    FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS: ClassVar[Dict[str, Tuple[int, int, int]]] = dict(
-        "win": (0, 255, 0), "loss": (255, 0, 0), "tie": (255, 200, 0)}
+        _card.FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS)
-    _MONTH_ABBR: ClassVar[Tuple[str, ...]] = (
+    _MONTH_ABBR: ClassVar[Tuple[str, ...]] = _card.MONTH_ABBR
-        "Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun",
+    _WEEKDAY_ABBR: ClassVar[Tuple[str, ...]] = _card.WEEKDAY_ABBR
-        "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec")
-    _WEEKDAY_ABBR: ClassVar[Tuple[str, ...]] = (
-        "Mon", "Tue", "Wed", "Thu", "Fri", "Sat", "Sun")
     #: Bitmap fonts snap to their native pixel grid.
-    _FONT_PIXEL_GRID: ClassVar[Dict[str, int]] = {
+    _FONT_PIXEL_GRID: ClassVar[Dict[str, int]] = dict(_card.FONT_PIXEL_GRID)
-        "PressStart2P-Regular.ttf": 8, "4x6-font.ttf": 7}
+    _FONT_NAME_ALIASES: ClassVar[Dict[str, str]] = dict(_card.FONT_NAME_ALIASES)
-    _FONT_NAME_ALIASES: ClassVar[Dict[str, str]] = {
-        "press_start": "PressStart2P-Regular.ttf", "four_by_six": "4x6-font.ttf"}
     #: Accepted values for the other-games quality filter.
     _QUALITY_CHOICES: ClassVar[frozenset] = frozenset({"any", "ranked"})
     #: How long to stay quiet between ranking-coverage warnings.
@@ -213,13 +225,11 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
         """Snap *desired* to the nearest size *font_file* renders crisply at.
 
         A face with no known grid is returned unchanged, so a user-supplied
-        font is never second-guessed.
+        font is never second-guessed. The class's own tables are passed, so a
+        host that declares extra faces keeps them.
         """
-        font_file = cls._FONT_NAME_ALIASES.get(font_file, font_file)
+        return _card.crisp_size(font_file, desired,
-        grid = cls._FONT_PIXEL_GRID.get(font_file)
+                                cls._FONT_NAME_ALIASES, cls._FONT_PIXEL_GRID)
-        if not grid or not desired or desired <= 0:
-            return desired
-        return max(grid, int(round(float(desired) / grid)) * grid)
 
     #: Absolute path of this plugin's directory, declared by the plugin
     #: itself. The mixin cannot work it out -- see _plugin_dir.
@@ -281,23 +291,19 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
         """The font_size this plugin's config_schema.json declares, or None."""
         if not element_key:
             return None
+        # Cached per class, not in sports_card's per-path cache: the display
+        # service rebuilds the class when it reloads a plugin, and that is
+        # what makes an edited schema take effect. Both caches parse through
+        # sports_card._read_schema_font_sizes.
         cache = getattr(self.__class__, '_SCHEMA_FONT_SIZES', None)
         if cache is None:
             cache = {}
             try:
-                import json
                 directory = self._plugin_dir()
                 if directory is None:
                     raise FileNotFoundError("no config_schema.json on the MRO")
-                with open(os.path.join(directory, 'config_schema.json')) as fh:
+                cache = _card._read_schema_font_sizes(
-                    schema = json.load(fh)
+                    os.path.join(directory, 'config_schema.json'))
-                props = (schema.get('properties', {})
-                               .get('customization', {})
-                               .get('properties', {}))
-                for key, spec in props.items():
-                    size = spec.get('properties', {}).get('font_size', {}).get('default')
-                    if size is not None:
-                        cache[key] = int(size)
             except Exception as exc:
                 # Say so. An unreadable schema is not cosmetic: every element's
                 # configured size then stops matching "the schema default", is
@@ -339,10 +345,7 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
 
     def _card_option(self, key: str, default: Any = None) -> Any:
         """Read one key from the scroll_card config block."""
-        block = (self.config or {}).get("scroll_card")
+        return _card.scroll_card_option(self.config, key, default)
-        if isinstance(block, dict) and block.get(key) is not None:
-            return block.get(key)
-        return default
 
     def _switch_upcoming_center(self) -> str:
         """Middle of the full-screen upcoming scorebug: 'vs', 'date_time' or 'none'."""
@@ -354,7 +357,7 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
 
     def _vs_text(self) -> str:
         """Separator drawn between the teams -- "VS", "@", "at", anything."""
-        return str(self._card_option("vs_text", "VS"))
+        return _card.vs_text(self.config)
 
     def _switch_date_format(self) -> str:
         """Date style for the full-screen scorebug.
@@ -374,28 +377,19 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
         return fmt
 
     def _format_game_date(self, date_text: str, game: Optional[Dict] = None) -> str:
-        """Format an upcoming date per scroll_card.switch_date_format."""
+        """Format an upcoming date per scroll_card.switch_date_format.
+
+        The formatting is sports_card's. What differs from the card's
+        ``format_game_date`` is passed in: the setting (``switch_date_format``,
+        see :meth:`_switch_date_format`) and the weekday, which comes from
+        :meth:`_weekday_for` and so from this plugin's resolved timezone.
+        """
         raw = str(date_text or "").strip()
         if not raw:
             return raw
-        fmt = self._switch_date_format()
+        return _card._format_date_as(self._switch_date_format(), raw,
-        if fmt == "numeric":
+                                     lambda: self._weekday_for(game),
-            return raw
+                                     self._MONTH_ABBR)
-        parts = raw.replace("-", "/").split("/")
-        if not (len(parts) >= 2 and parts[0].strip().isdigit() and parts[1].strip().isdigit()):
-            return raw
-        month, day = int(parts[0]), int(parts[1])
-        if not 1 <= month <= 12:
-            return raw
-        name = self._MONTH_ABBR[month - 1]
-        if fmt == "numeric_day_first":
-            return f"{day}/{month}"
-        if fmt == "day_first":
-            return f"{day} {name}"
-        if fmt == "weekday":
-            weekday = self._weekday_for(game)
-            return f"{weekday} {name} {day}" if weekday else f"{name} {day}"
-        return f"{name} {day}"
 
     def _weekday_for(self, game: Optional[Dict]) -> str:
         """Weekday abbreviation from the game's start time, or ''."""
@@ -413,22 +407,7 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
 
     def _format_game_time(self, time_text: str) -> str:
         """Return the time as-is (12h) or converted to 24h."""
-        raw = str(time_text or "").strip()
+        return _card.format_game_time(self.config, time_text)
-        if not raw or str(self._card_option("time_format", "12h")) != "24h":
-            return raw
-        cleaned = raw.upper().replace(" ", "")
-        meridiem = "AM" if cleaned.endswith("AM") else "PM" if cleaned.endswith("PM") else ""
-        if not meridiem:
-            return raw
-        try:
-            hh, _, mm = cleaned[:-2].partition(":")
-            hour, minute = int(hh), int(mm or 0)
-        except ValueError:
-            return raw
-        if not (0 <= hour <= 12 and 0 <= minute <= 59):
-            return raw
-        hour = hour % 12 + (12 if meridiem == "PM" else 0)
-        return f"{hour:02d}:{minute:02d}"
 
     def _scorebug_font(self, draw, text: str, width: int):
         """The face this scorebug draws its date and time in.
@@ -560,15 +539,7 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
     @staticmethod
     def _coerce_rgb(value, fallback):
         """Turn a configured [R, G, B] list into a clamped (r, g, b) tuple."""
-        # Checked before unpacking: a 3-character string ("123") would otherwise
+        return _card.coerce_rgb(value, fallback)
-        # iterate into three digits and yield a colour rather than the fallback.
-        if not isinstance(value, (list, tuple)) or len(value) != 3:
-            return fallback
-        try:
-            r, g, b = (max(0, min(255, int(channel))) for channel in value)
-        except (TypeError, ValueError):
-            return fallback
-        return (r, g, b)
 
     @staticmethod
     def _side_is_favorite(game: Dict, side: str, favorites: set) -> bool:
@@ -849,28 +820,12 @@ class SportsCoreSharedMixin:
         the ability to tell two elements apart does. Faces that cannot be
         rebuilt (a BDF loaded through freetype.Face, anything without a usable
         path) are left shared, and their draws stay white as before.
+
+        The body is sports_card's; this class's own element map is passed, so
+        the keys considered are the ones this class colours by.
         """
-        try:
+        return _card.unshare_element_fonts(self.logger, fonts,
-            from src.common.font_layout import load_truetype as _load
+                                           self._ELEMENT_FOR_FONT)
-        except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
-            return fonts
-        seen = {}
-        for key in self._ELEMENT_FOR_FONT:
-            font = fonts.get(key)
-            if font is None:
-                continue
-            if id(font) not in seen:
-                seen[id(font)] = key
-                continue
-            path, size = getattr(font, "path", None), getattr(font, "size", None)
-            if not path or not size:
-                continue
-            try:
-                fonts[key] = _load(path, size)
-            except (OSError, ValueError, TypeError):
-                self.logger.debug(
-                    "Could not un-share the %s face; it keeps the default colour", key)
-        return fonts
 
     def _font_color(self, font, default: Tuple[int, int, int] = (255, 255, 255)):
         """Colour for whichever element owns this face.

test/test_sports_twins.py

@@ -0,0 +1,672 @@
+"""The twins: ``SportsCoreSharedMixin`` methods vs ``sports_card`` functions.
+
+Every scoreboard draws the same game twice over: switch mode through its
+``sports.py`` (``SportsCoreSharedMixin``, ``self._recent_score_color(...)``)
+and scroll/Vegas mode through its ``game_renderer.py``
+(``sports_card``, ``_card.recent_score_color(...)``). The two modules grew
+same-named helpers independently, so this file calls each pair with the same
+inputs and says which ones agree.
+
+Two kinds of test live here, and the difference matters:
+
+* ``TestIdentical`` -- pairs that agree on every input below. Most mixin
+  methods in this set are now thin wrappers over the ``sports_card`` function,
+  so the check is also what keeps a future "fix" to one side from quietly
+  becoming a divergence (a mixin body re-grown, a wrapper given different
+  arguments).
+* ``TestPinnedDivergence`` -- pairs that do NOT agree. Their current behaviour
+  is pinned on purpose, with the minimal input that shows the difference. A
+  divergence here is user-visible (a colour, a weekday) in one display mode, and
+  which side is right is an owner decision, not a refactor. When that decision
+  is made, the test that pins it is the one to edit, deliberately.
+
+The game corpus is the plugins' own harness fixtures
+(``plugins/*/test/fixtures/mock.json`` in ledmatrix-plugins), reduced to the
+keys these helpers read and embedded below, in the three payload shapes the
+helpers are handed: flat (what ``_extract_game_details_common`` builds -- the
+switch-mode input), flat plus nested (what the renderers'
+``_normalize_game_payload`` hands the scroll card), and nested only. Point
+``LEDMATRIX_PLUGINS`` at a ledmatrix-plugins checkout to add every event in
+those fixtures to the corpus.
+"""
+
+import itertools
+import json
+import logging
+import os
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
+
+import pytest
+
+from src.common import sports_card as C
+from src.common.font_layout import load_truetype, resolve_asset_path
+from src.common.sports_shared import SportsCoreSharedMixin
+
+LOG = logging.getLogger("test_sports_twins")
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Corpus
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#: (plugin, start, home abbr, home id, home score, away abbr, away id,
+#: away score, state) -- one row per distinct event in the eight scoreboards'
+#: test/fixtures/mock.json.
+FIXTURE_EVENTS = [
+    ("afl", "2026-07-10T09:40Z", "COLL", "17", "89", "NMFC", "5", "85", "post"),
+    ("afl", "2026-07-11T03:15Z", "STK", "18", "0", "PORT", "7", "0", "pre"),
+    ("afl", "2026-07-10T11:30Z", "FRE", "1", "54", "SYD", "4", "48", "in"),
+    ("baseball", "2026-07-09T02:10Z", "LAD", "19", "5", "SF", "26", "3", "post"),
+    ("baseball", "2026-07-10T10:05Z", "NYY", "10", "4", "BOS", "2", "3", "in"),
+    ("baseball", "2026-07-11T23:10Z", "NYM", "21", "0", "ATL", "15", "0", "pre"),
+    ("basketball", "2026-01-14T00:30Z", "BOS", "2", "112", "NY", "18", "104", "post"),
+    ("basketball", "2026-01-15T03:30Z", "LAL", "13", "78", "GS", "9", "72", "in"),
+    ("basketball", "2026-01-16T02:00Z", "DEN", "7", "0", "DAL", "6", "0", "pre"),
+    ("football", "2026-01-14T01:15Z", "KC", "12", "27", "BUF", "2", "24", "post"),
+    ("football", "2026-01-15T10:30Z", "PHI", "21", "17", "DAL", "6", "14", "in"),
+    ("football", "2026-01-18T23:30Z", "DET", "8", "0", "GB", "9", "0", "pre"),
+    ("hockey", "2026-01-14T00:00Z", "BOS", "1", "4", "TOR", "21", "2", "post"),
+    ("hockey", "2026-01-15T10:30Z", "TB", "20", "3", "DAL", "9", "2", "in"),
+    ("hockey", "2026-01-16T00:00Z", "CHI", "4", "0", "NYR", "13", "0", "pre"),
+    ("lacrosse", "2026-04-14T18:00Z", "DUKE", "150", "14", "SYR", "183", "11", "post"),
+    ("lacrosse", "2026-04-15T10:30Z", "JHU", "2305", "8", "UVA", "258", "7", "in"),
+    ("lacrosse", "2026-04-16T22:00Z", "COR", "172", "0", "PSU", "213", "0", "pre"),
+    ("nrl", "2026-07-10T09:00Z", "BRI", "16", "18", "PEN", "18", "12", "in"),
+    ("nrl", "2026-07-09T09:00Z", "MEL", "12", "24", "SYD", "20", "10", "post"),
+    ("nrl", "2026-07-12T09:00Z", "PAR", "14", "0", "PEN", "18", "0", "pre"),
+    ("soccer", "2026-01-14T20:00Z", "ARS", "359", "2", "CHE", "363", "1", "post"),
+    ("soccer", "2026-01-15T11:30Z", "LIV", "364", "1", "MNC", "382", "1", "in"),
+    ("soccer", "2026-01-16T20:00Z", "TOT", "367", "0", "MAN", "360", "0", "pre"),
+]
+
+_LEAGUE = {"afl": "afl", "baseball": "mlb", "basketball": "nba", "football": "nfl",
+           "hockey": "nhl", "lacrosse": "ncaa_mens_lacrosse", "nrl": "nrl",
+           "soccer": "eng.1"}
+
+
+def _extra_fixture_events():
+    """Every event in a ledmatrix-plugins checkout, when one is named."""
+    raw = os.environ.get("LEDMATRIX_PLUGINS")
+    if not raw:
+        return []
+    root = Path(raw)
+    if (root / "plugins").is_dir():
+        root = root / "plugins"
+    rows = []
+    for path in sorted(root.glob("*-scoreboard/test/fixtures/mock.json")):
+        plugin = path.parts[-4].replace("-scoreboard", "")
+        try:
+            data = json.loads(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+        except (OSError, ValueError):
+            continue
+        for block in data.values():
+            for ev in (block.get("events") or []) if isinstance(block, dict) else []:
+                try:
+                    comp = ev["competitions"][0]
+                    sides = {c["homeAway"]: c for c in comp["competitors"]}
+                    rows.append((plugin, ev["date"],
+                                 sides["home"]["team"]["abbreviation"],
+                                 sides["home"]["team"]["id"], sides["home"].get("score"),
+                                 sides["away"]["team"]["abbreviation"],
+                                 sides["away"]["team"]["id"], sides["away"].get("score"),
+                                 ""))
+                except (KeyError, IndexError, TypeError):
+                    continue
+    return rows
+
+
+def _flat(row):
+    plugin, start, ha, hid, hs, aa, aid, as_, _state = row
+    return {
+        "league": _LEAGUE.get(plugin, plugin),
+        "home_abbr": ha, "home_id": hid, "home_score": hs,
+        "away_abbr": aa, "away_id": aid, "away_score": as_,
+        "start_time_utc": datetime.fromisoformat(start.replace("Z", "+00:00")),
+    }
+
+
+def _with_nested(game):
+    """The scroll card's input: flat keys kept, nested team dicts added."""
+    out = dict(game)
+    for side in ("home", "away"):
+        out[f"{side}_team"] = {"abbrev": game.get(f"{side}_abbr"),
+                               "id": game.get(f"{side}_id"),
+                               "score": game.get(f"{side}_score")}
+    return out
+
+
+def _nested_only(game):
+    out = {k: v for k, v in _with_nested(game).items()
+           if not k.startswith(("home_abbr", "home_id", "home_score",
+                                "away_abbr", "away_id", "away_score"))}
+    return out
+
+
+_ROWS = FIXTURE_EVENTS + _extra_fixture_events()
+FLAT_GAMES = [_flat(r) for r in _ROWS]
+EDGE_FLAT_GAMES = [
+    # NRL: abbreviations are not unique, ids are.
+    {"league": "nrl", "home_abbr": "NEW", "home_id": "4", "home_score": "20",
+     "away_abbr": "NEW", "away_id": "12", "away_score": "10"},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": "KC", "away_abbr": "BUF"},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": "KC", "away_abbr": "BUF", "home_score": "", "away_score": ""},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": "KC", "away_abbr": "BUF", "home_score": "-", "away_score": "-"},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": "KC", "away_abbr": "BUF", "home_score": "5.0",
+     "away_score": "2.0"},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": "KC", "home_id": 12, "away_abbr": "BUF", "away_id": 2,
+     "home_score": 3, "away_score": 3},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": None, "away_abbr": "BUF", "home_score": "1",
+     "away_score": "2"},
+    {"league": "nfl", "home_abbr": " kc ", "away_abbr": "BUF", "home_score": "1",
+     "away_score": "2"},
+]
+ALL_FLAT = FLAT_GAMES + EDGE_FLAT_GAMES
+SCROLL_SHAPED = [_with_nested(g) for g in ALL_FLAT]
+
+
+def _favorite_choices(game):
+    """Every way a favourites list can relate to this game."""
+    out = [[], ["AP_TOP_25"], ["NOBODY"]]
+    for side in ("home", "away"):
+        for key in ("abbr", "id"):
+            value = game.get(f"{side}_{key}")
+            if value is not None:
+                out.append([str(value)])
+                out.append([" " + str(value).lower() + " "])
+    if game.get("home_abbr") and game.get("away_abbr"):
+        out.append([game["home_abbr"], game["away_abbr"]])
+    return out
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Hosts
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class _Host(SportsCoreSharedMixin):
+    """The mixin with just the state these helpers read."""
+
+    def __init__(self, config=None, favorites=None, tz=timezone.utc, fonts=None):
+        self.config = config
+        self.favorite_teams = favorites
+        self.logger = LOG
+        self.fonts = fonts or {}
+        self._tz = tz
+
+    def _get_timezone(self):
+        return self._tz
+
+
+#: The map seven of the eight scoreboards' sports.py declare over the mixin's
+#: default (football is the one that inherits the default).
+PLUGIN_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT = {
+    "odds": "odds_text", "score": "score_text", "time": "period_text",
+    "team": "team_name", "status": "status_text", "detail": "detail_text",
+    "rank": "rank_text",
+}
+
+
+def _call(fn, *args):
+    """Result or the exception type, so a raise on one side is a difference."""
+    try:
+        return fn(*args)
+    except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 - the type is the result here
+        return f"<raises {type(exc).__name__}>"
+
+
+def _mismatches(pairs):
+    return [(label, a, b) for label, a, b in pairs if a != b]
+
+
+RESULT_COLOURS = [
+    {"enabled": True},
+    {"enabled": True, "win_color": [1, 2, 3], "loss_color": "123",
+     "tie_color": [999, -1, "7"]},
+    {"enabled": False},
+    {},
+]
+
+SCROLL_CARD_CONFIGS = [
+    None, {}, {"scroll_card": None}, {"scroll_card": {}}, {"scroll_card": "notadict"},
+    {"scroll_card": {"vs_text": "@", "date_format": "weekday", "time_format": "24h",
+                     "switch_date_format": "inherit"}},
+    {"scroll_card": {"vs_text": None, "date_format": "day_first", "time_format": "12h",
+                     "switch_date_format": "inherit"}},
+    {"scroll_card": {"vs_text": 7, "date_format": "numeric", "switch_date_format": "inherit"}},
+    {"scroll_card": {"date_format": "numeric_day_first", "time_format": "24h",
+                     "switch_date_format": "inherit"}},
+    {"scroll_card": {"date_format": "abbrev", "switch_date_format": "inherit"}},
+    {"scroll_card": {"date_format": "bogus", "switch_date_format": "inherit"}},
+]
+TIMES = ["7:30 PM", "12:00 AM", "12:05pm", "7 PM", "13:00 PM", "TBD", "", None,
+         "7:61 PM", "x:30 PM", " 9:05 am ", "12:00 PM", "0:15 AM"]
+DATES = ["9/19", "09-19", "13/19", "Sep 19", "", None, "9/19/2026", " 1/2 ", "0/5"]
+STARTS = [datetime(2026, 9, 19, 23, 30, tzinfo=timezone.utc), "2026-09-19T23:30Z",
+          "2026-09-20T02:00:00+00:00", "garbage", None, "", datetime(2026, 1, 1)]
+TIMEZONES = ["America/New_York", "Australia/Sydney", "UTC", "Not/AZone", None]
+
+PS = resolve_asset_path("assets/fonts/PressStart2P-Regular.ttf")
+F46 = resolve_asset_path("assets/fonts/4x6-font.ttf")
+
+
+def _font_sets():
+    a, b, c = load_truetype(PS, 8), load_truetype(PS, 16), load_truetype(F46, 7)
+    keys = ("odds", "score", "time", "team", "status", "detail", "rank")
+    return {
+        "distinct": {"score": a, "time": b, "team": c, "status": load_truetype(PS, 8),
+                     "detail": load_truetype(F46, 7), "rank": load_truetype(F46, 14),
+                     "odds": load_truetype(F46, 7)},
+        "score+time share": {"score": a, "time": a, "team": c},
+        "team+rank share": {"score": a, "time": b, "team": c, "rank": c},
+        "odds+score share": {"score": a, "odds": a, "time": b},
+        "all share": {k: a for k in keys},
+    }
+
+
+def _partition(fonts):
+    """Which keys still share one face object -- what unsharing decides."""
+    groups = {}
+    for key, font in fonts.items():
+        groups.setdefault(id(font), []).append(key)
+    return sorted(sorted(keys) for keys in groups.values())
+
+
+def _faces(fonts):
+    return {k: (getattr(f, "path", None), getattr(f, "size", None)) for k, f in fonts.items()}
+
+
+def _schema_dir(tmp_path, name, text):
+    d = tmp_path / name
+    d.mkdir()
+    if text is not None:
+        (d / "config_schema.json").write_text(text)
+    return d
+
+
+SCHEMAS = {
+    "good": json.dumps({"properties": {"customization": {"properties": {
+        "score_text": {"properties": {"font_size": {"default": 10}}},
+        "period_text": {"properties": {"font_size": {"default": 8}}},
+        "detail_text": {"properties": {"font_size": {"default": "6"}}},
+        "team_name": {"properties": {"font": {"default": "x"}}}}}}}),
+    "bad_json": "{not json",
+    "bad_default": json.dumps({"properties": {"customization": {"properties": {
+        "score_text": {"properties": {"font_size": {"default": "big"}}}}}}}),
+    "missing": None,
+}
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Identical pairs
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestIdentical:
+    """Pairs that agree on every input. Keep it that way."""
+
+    def test_scroll_card_option(self):
+        pairs = []
+        for i, cfg in enumerate(SCROLL_CARD_CONFIGS):
+            host = _Host(cfg)
+            for key, default in itertools.product(
+                    ("vs_text", "date_format", "time_format", "missing"), (None, "D", 0)):
+                pairs.append((f"cfg{i} {key} {default!r}",
+                              _call(host._card_option, key, default),
+                              _call(C.scroll_card_option, cfg, key, default)))
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_vs_text(self):
+        pairs = [(f"cfg{i}", _call(_Host(cfg)._vs_text), _call(C.vs_text, cfg))
+                 for i, cfg in enumerate(SCROLL_CARD_CONFIGS)]
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_format_game_time(self):
+        pairs = [(f"cfg{i} {t!r}", _call(_Host(cfg)._format_game_time, t),
+                  _call(C.format_game_time, cfg, t))
+                 for (i, cfg), t in itertools.product(enumerate(SCROLL_CARD_CONFIGS), TIMES)]
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_coerce_rgb(self):
+        values = [[1, 2, 3], (300, -4, "5"), "123", [1, 2], [1, 2, 3, 4], None, 42,
+                  {"r": 1, "g": 2, "b": 3}, ["a", 1, 2], [1.9, 2, 3], [None, 1, 2]]
+        pairs = [(repr(v), _call(_Host._coerce_rgb, v, (4, 5, 6)),
+                  _call(C.coerce_rgb, v, (4, 5, 6))) for v in values]
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_crisp_size(self):
+        names = ["PressStart2P-Regular.ttf", "4x6-font.ttf", "press_start", "four_by_six",
+                 "5by7.regular.ttf", "user.ttf", None]
+        sizes = [None, 0, -3, 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 20, 7.5, "8"]
+        pairs = [(f"{n} {s!r}", _call(_Host._crisp_size, n, s), _call(C.crisp_size, n, s))
+                 for n, s in itertools.product(names, sizes)]
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_crisp_size_honours_a_hosts_own_tables(self):
+        """A class that declares extra faces keeps them through the wrapper."""
+        cls = type("Extra", (_Host,), {"_FONT_PIXEL_GRID": {"extra.ttf": 5},
+                                       "_FONT_NAME_ALIASES": {"x": "extra.ttf"}})
+        assert cls._crisp_size("x", 12) == C.crisp_size("x", 12, {"x": "extra.ttf"},
+                                                         {"extra.ttf": 5}) == 10
+
+    def test_constant_tables(self):
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin.FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS == \
+            C.FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._MONTH_ABBR == C.MONTH_ABBR
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._WEEKDAY_ABBR == C.WEEKDAY_ABBR
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._FONT_PIXEL_GRID == C.FONT_PIXEL_GRID
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._FONT_NAME_ALIASES == C.FONT_NAME_ALIASES
+
+    def test_constant_dicts_are_not_aliased(self):
+        # Equal, but separate objects: a caller mutating one table (tests do)
+        # must not reach into the other module.
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin.FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS is not \
+            C.FAVORITE_RESULT_COLOR_DEFAULTS
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._FONT_PIXEL_GRID is not C.FONT_PIXEL_GRID
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._FONT_NAME_ALIASES is not C.FONT_NAME_ALIASES
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("schema", sorted(SCHEMAS))
+    def test_schema_font_size_and_resolve_font_size(self, tmp_path, schema):
+        d = _schema_dir(tmp_path, schema, SCHEMAS[schema])
+        host = type("H_" + schema, (_Host,), {"_PLUGIN_DIR": str(d)})()
+        path = str(d / "config_schema.json")
+        pairs = []
+        for key in ("score_text", "period_text", "detail_text", "team_name", "nope", "", None):
+            pairs.append((f"schema {key!r}", _call(host._schema_font_size, key),
+                          _call(C.schema_font_size, path, key)))
+            for ec, name, size in itertools.product(
+                    (None, {}, {"font_size": 10}, {"font_size": "10"}, {"font_size": 11},
+                     {"font_size": "big"}, {"font_size": None}, {"font_size": 8.7}),
+                    ("PressStart2P-Regular.ttf", "4x6-font.ttf", "press_start", "user.ttf"),
+                    (6, 8, 10, None)):
+                pairs.append((f"resolve {key!r} {ec} {name} {size}",
+                              _call(host._resolve_font_size, ec, key, size, name),
+                              _call(C.resolve_font_size, path, ec, key, size, name)))
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize("element_map", ["mixin default", "plugin sports.py"])
+    def test_unshare_element_fonts_given_the_same_map(self, element_map):
+        """Same map in, same faces out. (The maps themselves differ; pinned below.)"""
+        mapping = (SportsCoreSharedMixin._ELEMENT_FOR_FONT if element_map == "mixin default"
+                   else PLUGIN_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT)
+        host = type("H", (_Host,), {"_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT": mapping})()
+        for name, fonts in _font_sets().items():
+            mine, theirs = dict(fonts), dict(fonts)
+            host._unshare_element_fonts(mine)
+            C.unshare_element_fonts(LOG, theirs, mapping)
+            assert _partition(mine) == _partition(theirs), name
+            assert _faces(mine) == _faces(theirs), name
+
+    def test_unshare_element_fonts_default_map_is_unchanged(self):
+        """Omitting the new argument keeps the card's own map."""
+        for name, fonts in _font_sets().items():
+            default, explicit = dict(fonts), dict(fonts)
+            C.unshare_element_fonts(LOG, default)
+            C.unshare_element_fonts(LOG, explicit, C.ELEMENT_FOR_FONT)
+            assert _partition(default) == _partition(explicit), name
+
+    def test_format_game_date_when_both_read_the_same_setting_and_zone(self):
+        """With ``switch_date_format: inherit`` the scorebug reads the card's
+        ``date_format``; given the same zone the two then format identically."""
+        pairs = []
+        for (i, cfg), tzname in itertools.product(enumerate(SCROLL_CARD_CONFIGS[5:]),
+                                                   TIMEZONES):
+            conf = dict(cfg, timezone=tzname) if tzname else dict(cfg)
+            host = _Host(conf, tz=C.card_tzinfo(conf, LOG))
+            for d, start in itertools.product(DATES, STARTS):
+                game = {"start_time_utc": start} if start is not None else {}
+                pairs.append((f"cfg{i} tz={tzname} {d!r} {start!r}",
+                              _call(host._format_game_date, d, game),
+                              _call(C.format_game_date, conf, LOG, d, game)))
+                pairs.append((f"weekday cfg{i} tz={tzname} {start!r}",
+                              _call(host._weekday_for, game),
+                              _call(C.weekday_for, conf, LOG, game)))
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_format_game_date_honours_a_hosts_month_table(self):
+        """The scoreboards redeclare _MONTH_ABBR; the shared body must read it."""
+        cls = type("Months", (_Host,), {"_MONTH_ABBR": tuple(f"M{i}" for i in range(1, 13))})
+        host = cls({"scroll_card": {"switch_date_format": "abbrev"}})
+        assert host._format_game_date("9/19") == "M9 19"
+
+    def test_favorite_result_on_the_games_the_scoreboards_build(self):
+        """Production shape: the extractor stamps ``favorite_teams`` (the
+        manager's resolved list) on every game, and the manager holds the same
+        list. On those games -- flat for switch mode, flat plus nested for the
+        scroll card -- the two sides agree on every result and every colour."""
+        pairs = []
+        for game in ALL_FLAT:
+            for favs in _favorite_choices(game):
+                stamped = dict(game, favorite_teams=list(favs))
+                for colours in RESULT_COLOURS:
+                    cfg = {"customization": {"favorite_result_colors": colours}}
+                    host = _Host(cfg, favorites=list(favs))
+                    pairs.append((f"{game} {favs}",
+                                  _call(host._favorite_result, stamped),
+                                  _call(C.favorite_result, cfg, _with_nested(stamped))))
+                    pairs.append((f"{game} {favs} {colours}",
+                                  _call(host._recent_score_color, stamped, (9, 9, 9)),
+                                  _call(C.recent_score_color, cfg, LOG,
+                                        _with_nested(stamped), (9, 9, 9))))
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+        # And the corpus is not vacuous: every verdict actually occurs.
+        verdicts = {a for _, a, _ in pairs if isinstance(a, str) or a is None}
+        assert {"win", "loss", "tie", None} <= verdicts
+
+    def test_side_is_favorite_on_flat_games(self):
+        pairs = []
+        for game in ALL_FLAT:
+            for favs in _favorite_choices(game):
+                fav_set = {str(f).strip().upper() for f in favs if str(f).strip()}
+                for side in ("home", "away"):
+                    pairs.append((f"{game} {side} {fav_set}",
+                                  _call(_Host._side_is_favorite, game, side, fav_set),
+                                  _call(C.side_is_favorite, game, side, fav_set)))
+        assert not _mismatches(pairs)
+
+    def test_nrl_collision_is_resolved_the_same_way_on_both_sides(self):
+        """The _favorite_key seam: NRL's "NEW" is two clubs. Neither helper
+        calls the seam; both match abbreviation OR id, so an id favourite picks
+        one club and an abbreviation favourite picks both (no verdict)."""
+        game = EDGE_FLAT_GAMES[0]
+        for favs, expected in ((["4"], "win"), (["12"], "loss"), (["NEW"], None)):
+            host = _Host({}, favorites=favs)
+            assert host._favorite_result(game) == expected
+            assert C.favorite_result({"favorite_teams": favs}, game) == expected
+
+    def test_an_ambiguous_nrl_abbreviation_tints_on_both_sides(self):
+        """Agreed -- and at odds with NRL's own favourite rule.
+
+        NRL's resolver logs a shared abbreviation ("NEW") as an error and
+        passes it through unchanged, and its _is_favorite_game matches ids
+        only, so selection never treats "NEW" as a favourite. Both colour
+        helpers match on abbreviation too, so both modes tint a Knights result
+        (and a Warriors one) for a user who typed "NEW". Not a twin
+        divergence; a seam neither helper consults.
+        """
+        on = {"customization": {"favorite_result_colors": {"enabled": True}}}
+        game = {"league": "3", "home_abbr": "NEW", "home_id": "4", "home_score": "20",
+                "away_abbr": "MEL", "away_id": "12", "away_score": "10",
+                "favorite_teams": ["NEW"]}
+        cfg = dict(on, favorite_teams=["NEW"])
+        assert _Host(cfg, favorites=["NEW"])._recent_score_color(game, (9, 9, 9)) \
+            == C.recent_score_color(cfg, LOG, game, (9, 9, 9)) == (0, 255, 0)
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Pinned divergences -- owner decision pending. Edit deliberately.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestPinnedDivergence:
+    """Each test pins one difference between the twins as it stands today.
+
+    None of these is changed by the consolidation that made the identical pairs
+    wrappers: each one is a colour, a weekday or a font face that one display
+    mode shows differently from the other, so choosing a side is a product
+    decision. If you are here because one of these failed, you changed which
+    side wins -- make sure that was the decision, then update the pin.
+    """
+
+    NESTED_WIN = {"league": "nhl",
+                  "home_team": {"abbrev": "TB", "score": "4"},
+                  "away_team": {"abbrev": "BOS", "score": "1"}}
+
+    def test_side_is_favorite_nested_payload(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE: the mixin reads only the flat <side>_abbr / <side>_id keys;
+        # the card also reads <side>_team.{abbrev,abbreviation,id}. Unreachable
+        # from the scoreboards' own extractors (always flat), reachable from a
+        # nested-only payload.
+        assert _Host._side_is_favorite(self.NESTED_WIN, "home", {"TB"}) is False
+        assert C.side_is_favorite(self.NESTED_WIN, "home", {"TB"}) is True
+
+    def test_favorite_result_nested_payload(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE: follows from the one above, plus score source: the mixin
+        # reads home_score/away_score only; the card prefers the nested score.
+        host = _Host({}, favorites=["TB"])
+        game = dict(self.NESTED_WIN, favorite_teams=["TB"])
+        assert host._favorite_result(game) is None
+        assert C.favorite_result({}, game) == "win"
+
+    def test_favorite_result_when_nested_and_flat_scores_disagree(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE: same game, two score sources. The mixin uses the flat
+        # score, the card the nested one. The renderers' normaliser only fills
+        # a nested score that is missing, so this needs a payload that already
+        # carried both.
+        game = {"home_abbr": "TB", "away_abbr": "BOS", "home_score": "1",
+                "away_score": "4", "home_team": {"abbrev": "TB", "score": "4"},
+                "away_team": {"abbrev": "BOS", "score": "1"}, "favorite_teams": ["TB"]}
+        assert _Host({}, favorites=["TB"])._favorite_result(game) == "loss"
+        assert C.favorite_result({}, game) == "win"
+
+    def test_favorite_result_favourite_sources(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE: where the favourites come from. The mixin reads only
+        # self.favorite_teams (the manager's list, resolved at construction);
+        # the card reads the game's stamped favorite_teams plus the config's
+        # league block (or root). All eight scoreboards stamp the game, so in
+        # production both see the same list -- this pins the hand-built case.
+        game = {"league": "mlb", "home_abbr": "ATL", "away_abbr": "NYM",
+                "home_score": "5", "away_score": "2"}
+        on = {"customization": {"favorite_result_colors": {"enabled": True}}}
+        # Host favourites only, nothing stamped, nothing in config:
+        assert _Host(on, favorites=["ATL"])._favorite_result(game) == "win"
+        assert C.favorite_result(on, game) is None
+        # Config league block only, host list empty:
+        cfg = dict(on, mlb={"favorite_teams": ["ATL"]})
+        assert _Host(cfg, favorites=[])._favorite_result(game) is None
+        assert C.favorite_result(cfg, game) == "win"
+        # Stamped on the game only, host list empty:
+        stamped = dict(game, favorite_teams=["ATL"])
+        assert _Host(on, favorites=[])._favorite_result(stamped) is None
+        assert C.favorite_result(on, stamped) == "win"
+        # ...which is what reaches the colour:
+        assert _Host(on, favorites=["ATL"])._recent_score_color(game, (9, 9, 9)) == (0, 255, 0)
+        assert C.recent_score_color(on, LOG, game, (9, 9, 9)) == (9, 9, 9)
+
+    def test_weekday_zone_source(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE, user-visible: the scorebug asks the plugin's
+        # _get_timezone() (plugin setting -> global setting -> system zone);
+        # the card reads only config["timezone"] and falls back to UTC. The
+        # scoreboards' schemas default that key to "", and the scroll display
+        # hands the renderer the plugin config, so a board that sets only the
+        # global zone gets UTC weekdays in scroll mode: an evening kickoff in
+        # New York is labelled with the next day.
+        game = {"start_time_utc": "2026-09-20T00:30:00+00:00"}  # Sat 20:30 EDT
+        host = _Host({}, tz=ZoneInfo("America/New_York"))
+        assert host._weekday_for(game) == "Sat"
+        assert C.weekday_for({}, LOG, game) == "Sun"
+        cfg = {"scroll_card": {"date_format": "weekday", "switch_date_format": "inherit"}}
+        host = _Host(cfg, tz=ZoneInfo("America/New_York"))
+        assert host._format_game_date("9/19", game) == "Sat Sep 19"
+        assert C.format_game_date(cfg, LOG, "9/19", game) == "Sun Sep 19"
+
+    def test_weekday_out_of_range_start(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE: the mixin catches OverflowError from astimezone() and
+        # drops the weekday; the card lets it escape to its caller.
+        game = {"start_time_utc": "9999-12-31T23:59:00+00:00"}
+        sydney = {"timezone": "Australia/Sydney"}
+        assert _Host(sydney, tz=ZoneInfo("Australia/Sydney"))._weekday_for(game) == ""
+        with pytest.raises(OverflowError):
+            C.weekday_for(sydney, LOG, game)
+
+    def test_date_format_setting(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE BY DESIGN (documented on _switch_date_format): the scorebug
+        # reads scroll_card.switch_date_format (default "numeric", the "9/19"
+        # it has always drawn); the card reads scroll_card.date_format (default
+        # "abbrev"). "inherit" opts the scorebug into the card's setting.
+        assert _Host({})._format_game_date("9/19") == "9/19"
+        assert C.format_game_date({}, LOG, "9/19") == "Sep 19"
+
+    def test_upcoming_centre_setting(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE BY DESIGN: not a same-named twin, but the same question.
+        # switch_upcoming_center defaults to "date_time"; the card's
+        # upcoming_center to "vs". "inherit" opts the scorebug in.
+        assert _Host({})._switch_upcoming_center() == "date_time"
+        assert C.upcoming_center_mode({}) == "vs"
+        cfg = {"scroll_card": {"switch_upcoming_center": "inherit"}}
+        assert _Host(cfg)._switch_upcoming_center() == C.upcoming_center_mode(cfg) == "vs"
+
+    def test_element_for_font_maps(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE: the element vocabulary. The mixin default says team_text
+        # and has no rank/odds; the card says team_name and has rank but no
+        # odds. Seven scoreboards override the mixin map in sports.py with
+        # PLUGIN_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT (team_name, rank, odds); football inherits
+        # the default, and its schema declares team_name, not team_text.
+        assert SportsCoreSharedMixin._ELEMENT_FOR_FONT == {
+            "score": "score_text", "time": "period_text", "team": "team_text",
+            "detail": "detail_text", "status": "status_text"}
+        assert C.ELEMENT_FOR_FONT == {
+            "score": "score_text", "time": "period_text", "team": "team_name",
+            "status": "status_text", "detail": "detail_text", "rank": "rank_text"}
+
+    def test_font_color_team_element(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE (consequence of the maps): a colour set on team_name
+        # reaches the card's team face but not the mixin-default one.
+        team = load_truetype(F46, 7)
+        fonts = {"score": load_truetype(PS, 8), "team": team}
+        cfg = {"customization": {"team_name": {"text_color": [1, 1, 1]}}}
+        assert _Host(cfg, fonts=fonts)._font_color(team, (7, 7, 7)) == (7, 7, 7)
+        assert C.font_color(cfg, fonts, team, (7, 7, 7)) == (1, 1, 1)
+        plugin_host = type("P", (_Host,), {"_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT": PLUGIN_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT})
+        assert plugin_host(cfg, fonts=fonts)._font_color(team, (7, 7, 7)) == (1, 1, 1)
+
+    def test_unshare_element_fonts_odds_face(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE (consequence of the maps): the scoreboards' sports.py map
+        # includes "odds", so switch mode gives the odds face its own object;
+        # the card's map has no "odds", so scroll mode leaves it sharing the
+        # score's face (and _card.font_color then colours it as score_text).
+        shared = load_truetype(PS, 8)
+        mine = {"score": shared, "odds": shared}
+        theirs = dict(mine)
+        type("P", (_Host,), {"_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT": PLUGIN_ELEMENT_FOR_FONT})() \
+            ._unshare_element_fonts(mine)
+        C.unshare_element_fonts(LOG, theirs)
+        assert mine["odds"] is not mine["score"]
+        assert theirs["odds"] is theirs["score"]
+
+    def test_schema_default_cache_lifetimes(self, tmp_path):
+        # DELIBERATE, and the reason there are still two caches: the mixin
+        # caches per class, the card per schema path. The display service
+        # builds new classes when it reloads a plugin, so switch mode picks up
+        # an edited schema then; the card's module-level cache does not. One
+        # shared cache would change what switch mode does after a reload.
+        d = _schema_dir(tmp_path, "reload", SCHEMAS["good"])
+        path = str(d / "config_schema.json")
+        first = type("First", (_Host,), {"_PLUGIN_DIR": str(d)})()
+        assert first._schema_font_size("score_text") == 10
+        assert C.schema_font_size(path, "score_text") == 10
+        (d / "config_schema.json").write_text(SCHEMAS["good"].replace("10", "16"))
+        reloaded = type("Reloaded", (_Host,), {"_PLUGIN_DIR": str(d)})()
+        assert reloaded._schema_font_size("score_text") == 16
+        assert first._schema_font_size("score_text") == 10
+        assert C.schema_font_size(path, "score_text") == 10
+
+    def test_element_color_mode(self):
+        # DIVERGENCE at the call site, not in a body: both resolve through
+        # src.element_style, but the mixin passes the instance's SKIN_MODE
+        # ("live"/"recent"/"upcoming", set by all eight scoreboards) and the
+        # renderers call _card.element_color with no mode, so a per-mode colour
+        # override applies in switch mode only.
+        cfg = {"customization": {"score_text": {"text_color": [255, 0, 0]},
+                                 "modes": {"recent": {"score_text": {"text_color": [0, 0, 255]}}}}}
+        host = _Host(cfg)
+        host.SKIN_MODE = "recent"
+        assert host._element_color("score_text") == (0, 0, 255)
+        assert C.element_color(cfg, "score_text") == (255, 0, 0)