Spirit of the Game
2,000 college athletes, no referees, and the best of humanity
We spent last weekend watching two days worth of frisbee at the Maine Ultimate Lobster Pot Tournament. Our son’s college team was playing, along with 96 others (men’s and women’s) from across the Northeast and beyond. The teams filled South Portland’s Wainwright Fields with exuberance, chants, songs, dances, camaraderie, friendly competition, and pre and post-game team huddles - like a giant group hug. The experience left me with a heart full of hope for humanity.
If you’re new to ultimate frisbee, it’s unlike any other team sport, because it’s non-contact and self-officiating. That’s right, there are NO referees.
Instead, players are expected to “only make significant calls and resolve disputes respectfully while remaining open to other perspectives,” according to the rules. When a disupte arises, the players involved talk it out, come to an agreement, shake hands and play on. This happens peacefully and quickly. I’ve witnessed it countless times while watching our sons’ ultimate games, and I’m blown away every single time.
This unique approach to sport is called, “Spirit of the Game” and it’s no surprise this peace-loving game was invented in the late 60’s.
Here is the basic definition of spirit, as explained on the USA Ultimate website at usaultimate.org:
“Spirit of the Game is a set of principles which places the responsibility for fair play on the player. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the three core tenets of Spirit of the Game: mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, and the basic joy of play.”
What this looks like on the field:
Mutual respect - making the right call and actively listening to opposing viewpoints between competitors.
Conflict resolution - players express their perspective, listen to others, and resolve disputes on their own.
Rules knowledge - players know and follow the rules, then show willingness to learn when in doubt.
Body control - players avoid fouling, intentional contact, and dangerous plays.
Communication - engaging in discussions around calls and actively listening.
“Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of mutual respect among competitors, adherence to the agreed upon rules, or the basic joy of play.”
–Official Rules of Ultimate
We’ve seen a lot of real bad sh*t about college students in the news lately, and with all the endless coverage of that bad sh*t, its easy to start thinking the world is a dark scary place and that we’re all doomed.
So allow me to highlight a brighter side of the current crop of college students. The 2,000 college athletes who showed up at the Lobster Pot were there to build community, push their bodies to the limits, and have good old fashioned, clean fun.
I saw opposing players helping eachother up from the ground, high fiving eachother, and congratulating the other team when they won. Not only did these athletes treat their teammates and opponents with mutual respect, they had a blast playing a game they loved - off screens, out in the fresh air, hugging it out before each game.
If you live in Greater Portland, Forest City Ultimate, for 9th - 12th graders starts in the spring. There are also middle school clubs, and adult teams. You’d think I’d be on one, since I’m such a fan of the game, but I can’t throw a frisbee to save my life.
Instead, I’ll just enjoy watching our boys play and catching the buzz of good energy rolling off the field. It’s hard to not feel joyful watching ultimate frisbee. And with this much character and kindness, in a game with no referees, its impossible to not feel hopeful.
