The ‘Ultimate’ Spirit of the Game

Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - 09:30
Caitlin
Marketing Manager


Referees. You love them or you hate them. But you mostly hate them, because they’re always biased towards the other team, right? Let’s just get rid of them. What happens then? TOTAL CHAOS?! No way, Jose.

Ultimate Frisbee has always been and always will be a self-officiated game and this fits right in with how we operate our leagues. Coincidence? I think not. If you read the Official Rules of Ultimate (one of the eleven editions… seriously… eleven) you’ll see the phrase ‘Spirit of the Game’ over and over and over.

“All players are responsible for administering and adhering to the rules. Ultimate relies upon a Spirit of the Game that places the responsibility for fair play on every player. It is trusted that no player will intentionally break the rules; thus there are no harsh penalties for breaches, but rather a method for resuming play in a manner which simulates what would most likely have occurred had there been no breach. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but should never sacrifice the mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules, or the basic joy of play.”
- Official Rules of Ultimate: 11th Edition

Since its inception, Ultimate has always relied on the Spirit of the Game and it is actually commonly known as the ultimate ‘gentlemen’s game.’ Anything that sullies the Spirit of the Game is considered to be blasphemous (the ultimate gentlemanly word)!

You’ll see ‘spirit’ splattered all over our own rulebooks as we emphasis our motto of “fun-first, winning-second.” In Ultimate, the Spirit of the Game, positive sportsmanship, and having a fun-first attitude should come naturally. It’s been instilled in the Ultimate rules since day one and instilled in our leagues across the board.

Have fun out there and keep your spirit high!

Ultimate