Excerpts from the Official Rules of Ultimate: 11th Edition
"The integrity of Ultimate depends on each player's responsibility to uphold the Spirit of the Game, and this responsibility should remain paramount."
"... Ultimate relies upon a spirit of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the player. 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. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate unsportsmanlike conduct from the Ultimate field. ... intentional infractions, or other 'win-at-all-costs' behavior are contrary to the Spirit of the Game and must be avoided by all players."
Spirit of the Game sets Ultimate apart from other competitive team sports. For over 30 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head from time to time - just as in any sport, just as in life. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is how, even amid the most difficult of situations, utmost graciousness is allowed to meet that challenge head on.
I am a frisbee nerd; I love playing, watching and talking Ultimate. As a result, I've watched hundreds of hours of YouTube videos, shaky hand-held game footage and I subscribe to the Elite Team Partnerships series on UltiVillage (that's right ... I pay to watch Ultimate online). Funny thing is, even at this elite level, even when people are representing their country, you regularly see players saying "I fouled you, I'm sorry."; you regularly see people saying "That hit the ground before I caught it." and you routinely see players and captains talking calmly and working out their disagreements in a mature, and above all, good-natured way. These are elite level athletes, playing at the top level the sport offers and they aren't looking to 'bend the rules' or take advantage of a situation ... despite training for years for that particular game, they still see good spirit as being more important than getting the W.
Most Ultimate players care deeply about Spirit of the Game. The ... challenge for ... Ultimate is to foster an environment where the challenge does not become,"to see what I can get away with". Rather than dictate (or try and police) what Spirit of the Game is or should be, it is up to each player to do so for him or herself within the context of the teams he or she plays with and against. To help all of us gain a better understanding of what spirit is, check out the list below.
Ten Things You Should Know About Spirit of the Game™
1. The golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated.
Spirited games result from mutual respect among opponents. Assume the best of your opponent. Give him or her the benefit of a doubt. You would want the same for yourself. But if you are thick-skinned, do not assume that your opponent is. Maybe you should think of this rule as, "treat others as you would have them treat your mother."
I personally define this one as the "No Jerk Policy." Don't be one, and every
2. Control: SOTG takes real effort.
SOTG is not just some abstract principle that everyone adopts and then games run smoothly without effort. Close calls are made in tight games. Hard fouls are committed. SOTG is about how you handle yourself under pressure: how you contain your emotionality, tame your temper, and modulate your voice. If you initiate or contribute to the unraveling of spirit, the concept falls apart quickly. If you act to mend things (or at least not exacerbate the situation) by following (1) above, the game heals itself.
Walk away, cool down. Even if it means you drop a crucial point, or the opposition 'gets away with' something unspirited or dodgy. At all times, take the moral high ground and the integrity of the game is maintained. If there is one person who is consistently poor-spirited, see your captain and let them talk to the League Director ... don't engage in 'aggro'; too often this results in a game no-one has enjoyed.
3. Heckling and taunting are different.
Ultimate has a long tradition of good-natured heckling. Heckles are friendly barbs, typically from non-playing spectators. Heckling can be fun, but taunting is unspirited and wrong. Harassing remarks after an opponent's foul call or close play are NOT heckling: they are abusive taunts which create unpleasant playing conditions and often escalate to acrimonious disputes.
Be sure that all 'banter' is good natured and that both parties are enjoying it ... if, at any point, it stops being fun for all concerned, stop. Apologise. Move on.
4. SOTG is compatible with [competitive or intense] play.
It is a fallacy to argue that the stakes are so important that some aspect of SOTG can be cast aside. Time and again, great teams and star players have shown that you can bring all your competitive and athletic zeal to a game without sacrificing fair play or respect for your opponent.
5. Don't "give as you got."
There is no "eye for an eye." If you are wronged, you have no right to wrong someone in return. In the extreme case where you were severely mistreated, you may bring the issue up with a captain, tournament director, or even lodge a complaint with the governing body. If you retaliate in kind, however, a complaint may be filed against you. We recall point (1): treat others as you would have them treat you, not as they have treated you. In the end, you are responsible for you.
6. Breathe.
After a hard foul, close call, or disputed play, take a step back, pause, and take a deep breath. In the heat of competition, emotions run high. By giving yourself just a bit of time and space, you will gain enough perspective to compose yourself and concentrate on the facts involved in the dispute (was she in or out; did you hit his hand or the disc; did that pick affect the play). Your restraint will induce a more restrained response from your opponent. Conflagration averted, you may resume business as usual.
7. When you do the right thing, people notice.
When you turn the other cheek, you know you've done the right thing. You may not hear praise, there may be no standing ovation, but people do notice. Eventually, their respect for you and their appreciation of the game will grow.
8. Be generous with praise.
Compliment an opponent on her good catch. Remark to a teammate that you admire his honesty in calling himself out of bounds. Look players in the eye and congratulate them when you shake their hands after a game. These small acts boost spirit greatly, a large payoff for little time and effort.
9. Impressions linger.
Not only does the realization that your actions will be remembered for a long time serve to curb poor behavior, it can also inspire better conduct. Many old-timers enjoy the experience of meeting an elite player who remembers their first rendezvous on the field and recalls the event in detail. A good first encounter with an impressionable young player can have considerable long term positive impact.
10. Have fun.
And that's it from me, folks. SOTG is the building block our sport is built on; it is the thing that sets it apart from all other sports and it is the thing that will attract people to play. If we don't preserve and promote spirit ... Ultimate will end up as 'niggly' and spiteful as touch football is today. (No offence touchies ... but I challenge you to show me a touch game where people don't niggle and no-one backchats the ref).
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