What makes Ultimate Frisbee the best sport of all time? For one thing, the name makes it the be-all-and-end-all of sports. If it were anything other than “ultimate,” it would be a misnomer. Since misnomers (football?) don’t exist anywhere in American sports, by deductive reasoning Frisbee must be ultimate. It could be argued that the name is only referencing the best form of Frisbee, but then why does the sport also go by the name Ultimate? Because it is ultimate.
Renaldy Calise, an active Ultimate player, said, “It’s great to do with friends.” Calise added, “It’s up there with a bunch sports, like football.”
But does Ultimate Frisbee get the attention it deserves? No it does not. Professional sports generate billions of dollars a year selling tickets, Pay-Per-View and memorabilia; it pays big bucks to players, staffers, and referees — well, at least players. What does Ultimate Frisbee have?
“The classic blend of athleticism and sportsmanship,” answers Ian Paynter, seasoned player of the sport.
Negligence on the national front is understandable – people are connected to their favorite sports and sport teams. There’s no room for anything new. But what is the world’s excuse? The Olympics include curling (the subtle art of rubbing ice in front of slippery rocks), race-walking, and ping-pong. I love ping-pong, but that’s a sport best played in the basement surrounded by drunk people.
If these sports deserve Olympic status, why not Ultimate Frisbee? Shouldn’t guys and girls who can “huck a d” (throw a disk) almost 60 yards be recognized? Who determines what sports are allowed and which are closeted? Is it a result of the fear that America would dominate yet another category?
We would dominate, for the record. Even if we wouldn’t — if some country’s leaders reading this article said “We will thwart America” — at least there might be a push for competition. I’m fairly certain Mass Media might possibly have a high readership in Yugoslavia, or at least the same readership we have in Denmark.
Want to know one place that does acknowledge Ultimate? UMB! We might actually have the more people attending our games than any other sport at UMB. Doubt me? Just see how many people are waiting for the buses out in front of the Campus Center between 3:00 – 4:30PM on a Friday.
Sure, they’re eager to get home, impatient as they wait for the crowds to fill the bus or for the bus driver to return. But what’s that on the horizon! Sailboats! What’s that blocking their view of the sailboats? Trees! And what’s that in the circle of grass, sweaty students chucking ds.
Matt Conlon is one such player. Why does he go out to the circle of grass every Friday at 3:00PM? “I like to run,” he says, “and I like to catch things.” Just in case you doubted his sincerity, “I like to run and catch things.” Huzzah! But, another player put it best when he summarized the main principle of the sport: “It’s fun.”
If you’re looking for a nonchalant sport with room for some competitiveness but where mistakes are tolerated, come to the big grass circle in front of the Campus Center on Fridays at 3:00PM. Or, if you don’t feel like playing, cheer for us while you wait for the bus.
