Spirit of the game

The thing that makes Ultimate unique the game is run on the idea of spirit of the game. This means no refs, just you and the other team; the players are responsible for calling any fouls and scores. The spirit of the game is a way to show respect to the other team. Through my six years of playing I have learned that spirit of the game expands further than just on the field. Because we are talking about respect, one has to be respectful off the field. It is because of this we shake hands after every game and congratulate a player after a big play.


This past year I have found that people’s talk on the sideline can affect other people on the sideline as well as those still playing. For example, if the sideline is up and moving with the disc yelling positive feedback, the players on the field will get pumped up. This can be found on any sports teams.

On the flip side of things, people take this idea of talking to the players in a negative route. Instead of talking positive to their team, the focus solely on the other team and giving them negative feedback. While playing, we seek out people’s voices on the sideline to help us figure out where people are and who the biggest threats are. So when you get people on the sideline start talking bad about your playing you can’t help but let it affect you, which is what they want.

So, how do you deal with this? Breathe, just breathe. This might seem to be a small step, but you would be surprised how much it helps. With breathing you slowdown your body and your mind (which is working in overdrive during a game), and this helps you concentrate on what you’re doing. The most importing thing is to know that they are just trying to get to your head, so breathing will help you keep your cool. If this doesn’t work and the situation is getting to far out of hand you may want to talk to someone on the other team. This doesn’t have to be rude, just explain the situation and how you feel like this person is disrespecting the spirit of the game.

Recap: Spirit of the game is essential to the game of Ultimate. And that spirit has to extend to off the field. The most important thing to do if someone is disrespecting the spirit is to not let it get to your head. Also, you have to make sure you don’t sink down to their level. Don’t fight back; don’t start doing the same thing during other games. Spirit of the game is what makes Ultimate unique, and if we lose that, this sport will lose its integrity.