Spirit of the Game

Spirit of the Game

One of the most important aspects of Ultimate Frisbee is the fact that most games and tournaments do not have referees. This changes once the level of play is risen past college and into club and professional, but for the majority of Ultimate games that I have and will ever play in are non-officiated. Calls on the field are made by the players in the game and more specifically, on the field. This rule is known as the "Spirit of the Game". 

This is a very controversial part of Ultimate Frisbee that many teams run into trouble with. Being as competitive as any other competition, team's and player's emotions can rise and fall, sometimes causing frustration and anger. People are always going to get upset, but it is a known rule of Ultimate Frisbee that Spirit of the Game must still be followed. 

"The integrity of Ultimate depends on each player's responsibility to uphold the Spirit of the Game, and this responsibility should remain paramount."

"Spirit of the Game. 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." https://www.usaultimate.org/spirit/

That excerpt was taken from the Official Rules of Ultimate: 11th Edition on the USA Ultimate website. The Spirit of the Game is important because it shows what the Ultimate Frisbee environment is all about. Players coming together to enjoy a sport and have fun. Yes, there are going to be those teams that are just full of a**holes who you just can't stand playing. Everyone can get a little upset in the moment of a big play or foul, but in the end, the majority of players and teams follow the Spirit of the Game with the highest intention of maintaining its importance in the sport.