Are you suggesting that hockey players check themselves into a penalty box when they make an infraction?
Are you saying they shouldn't?
I've been playing hockey for 15+ years, in my opinion sports such as hockey are governed by the refs. If a ref decides to not enforce a rule, full advantage is taken of it without question. If one of my team members behaved the way you suggest, they would be finding a new team each season.
Should sailing be that way? I am nt suggesting that.
That's an interesting comparison...the same is true of most team sports where you have active refereeing. Sailing, for the most part, is a self-policing sport so I think that carries a different expectation.
I would bet, however, that the collegiate team racing follows a similar penalty behavior as hockey and other team sports...it probably has more to do with the individual competitor aspect. I can't think of another individual competitor sport that has the need for a similar degree of rules and limitations as sailing other than automotive racing and the under-way rules there are a bit more simple.
