Last weekend, the 2013 College Championships were an example of how much the game of Ultimate has evolved over the years. Based on a concept known as Spirit of the Game, Ultimate has traditionally been controlled by the players. However the College Championships saw the use of observers - who were basically referees - at games. The question is whether or not these observers and other changes hurt the game?
According to the USA Ultimate website Spirit of the Game places the responsibility of sportsmanship and fair play solely on the players. It encourages competitive play at a high level, but not if it sacrifices the values of sportsmanship or respect for the other players.
For over 30 years Ultimate has thrived and grown without referees, but for the game to continue to grow referees may be a necessary evil. At the College Championships the observers assisted on foul calls, turns, touchdowns and helped facilitate the flow of the game. However, USA Ultimate refrained from calling them referees, and referred to them only as observers.
Some believe the addition of referees as well as other changes comes at a price to the game. After winning the championship game Oregon's coach said that as the game has grown it has taken some of the ownership away from the players.
"I think we are giving something up to get something," he said. "I'm not sure we have thought through what we're going to give up. It's cool to feel more legitimate, to have ESPN here,and have it feel more real. But we've been a player controlled sport forever and I think we'll have to give that up to be big time.
"That was one of the great joys for me. I don't know it'll be different"
I disagree however, and believe that even though the game is changing its core values will remain. Spirit of the Game is not based only on player control, but it also focuses on showing respect, fair play and sportsmanship. Even with the refs, it will still be up the players to display these values.
One key value is to treat others as you want to be treated. It's also about how players handle themselves under pressure and control their emotions. Hard fouls and disagreements will happen with or without officiating and it is up to the players to take a step back and gather their feelings before reacting.
Doing the right thing on the field and praising team mates as well as opponents are also important values. Just because the game is changing doesn't mean players should stop making the right decisions. Players shouldn't need a ref to tell them they're out, or to praise a player who is willing to make a call against himself.
Most importantly the refs don't stop players from having fun
Referees are a part of every sport, and they may not be popular in Ultimate. However, as long as its core values are upheld then the Spirit of the Game will survive in the players.
Please comment with any thoughts on the changing landscape of Ultimate.
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