Room For Debate.....The Frisbee Life
Adam Blunt
Mr. Sabatino English 100
Room for Debate
Is Ultimate Frisbee Ready for the Olympics?
Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that puts sportsmanship above everything else and is a sport that can be played by anyone. This is the reason that Ultimate Frisbee should be a part of the Olympics is because it gives a new flavor and new attitude towards the Olympics, it is a sport that can be played by everyone and is a rising sport that should be awarded because of its popularity. It does something that is rarely seen in modern day sports which is put the sport itself above the athletes. A competitive nature is ingrained into every sport, but what makes Ultimate Frisbee special is that for the players it’s about family and the idea of teamwork and sportsmanship comes above individual goals or achievements. Usually sports teams have their stars and a lot of the attention goes towards them. For Ultimate Frisbee the focus is specially on the entire team. Everyone gets to play, everyone has the same amount of equal opportunity and everyone has the same love for the game. The Ultimate Frisbee discussion really boils down to whether or not Ultimate Frisbee is as popular as people think it is and whether or not over exposure towards the sport could potentially lead to the its own downfall. Here are some of the reasons why Ultimate Frisbee is ready to join the Olympic games.
Former Ultimate Frisbee coach Jody Avigran believes that “having Ultimate Frisbee join the Olympic games is huge for the Olympics and can be very successful for the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. One of his main points is that Ultimate Frisbee is a game of real sportsmanship where players are also their own referee and officiate their own game. His only concern is that have a player driven officiating body could be troublesome for the sport.” The counter argument that he has made that I also agree with is that for a long period of time the middle ground between the players has always been the heart of the game and because of this there should be no reason that the Olympics should not add Ultimate Frisbee to their long list of Olympic games. That common ground and sportsmanship is the heart of Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate Frisbee is essentially a team centric. From a distance and from a fans point of view, the Olympics seem more like the best individuals from different compiled together to become a team instead of the best TEAMS picked from all around the world. Speaking as a sports fan from the US and from what I see is that from many different sports like for example football, basketball and soccer, yes they are team sports, but a lot of the time the attention goes towards individuals like Tom Brady, Lebron James, Alex Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo. There are many factors that influence this like the position they play, their style of play, marketing, the team they on, and so on and so forth. That common ground, that sportsmanship and solidarity makes Ultimate Frisbee very special and very different than any other sport we have seen because it doesn’t matter how tall, fast or strong you are, even though that can help, there is an equal standing among the players and with the teams that makes the game extremely fair. This fairness should really lighten the fear of a player driven officiating body and we haven’t really seen a self-officiating body on such a grand scale of the Olympics. Having all of this adds a whole new layer towards the Olympics games that has never been done before. The common worry is that Ultimate Frisbee will be sucked up into the political nature of the Olympics which has been plaguing the sport for quite a while.
Dave Zirin who is a sport's editor at The Nation and also author of "Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics and the Fight for Democracy." He gives an counter argument that the “Olympics would ruin the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. That the politics and money that is involved in the Olympic games could taint the game for the worse instead of the better.” He gives table tennis and badminton as examples and his reasons for this are “that the lure of Olympic gold and an overwhelming amount of patriotic pride could give off, he calls it, a kill or be killed type of mentality if the sport was in the hands of the International Olympic Committee.” He also has another argument that the Olympic committee should be trying to make the Olympics smaller, greener and friendlier.” My counter argument about the Olympics being too big and that incorporating it into the Olympic games could potentially ruin the sport entirely is that the entire base of the Olympic games is that it is a way for different cultures from around the world to come together. Sports like Badminton, Handball and Judo may not be seen as in such high regard as the other sports in the US, but are huge globally. That's why adding a sport like Ultimate Frisbee is important if you are going to try to make the Olympics greener and friendlier. You really can't get any friendlier than a sport that is entirely known for and based upon it's sportsmanship. If the International Olympic Committee stuck to the core essential tools of what Ultimate Frisbee is like the self-officiating and the self-appointed middle ground between the players. Any deviation from this could ruin the core fundamentals and the game entirely. I argue that since the Olympics is only every four years and is in my eyes as a global celebration of the best athletes and teams from across the world. We should be able to see the best athletes and teams including Ultimate Frisbee which is known as the ultimate team sport. There have been some questions on whether or not Ultimate Frisbee should be introduced to the younger generation first because a younger audience would be willing to ingratiate themselves more and more respected if it started at a high school level rather than a Olympic one.
Tiina Booth, founder of the National Ultimate Training Camp and Amherst Invitational, coaches the men's Ultimate team at a University in Massachusetts. She tells a story about “one of the campers she knows and how he wanted to get an Ultimate Frisbee team established at his school, but wasn't able due to some restrictions. Her viewpoint is that if it is incorporated into high school early then it would be much easier to have it professionally and in the Olympics and that being inexpensive could be the sports downfall because if it was legitimized in high school then money would have to be put in to get equipment and uniforms. And it is an understandable reasons the school won't sanction a team because it may be too costly for some schools to fund a new team and the sport doesn't lead to a NCAA scholarship.” My counter argument to that is that because of the roadblocks on the high school level it is better to have the sport legitimized on the Olympic level first. If Ultimate Frisbee is put on such a grander stage as the Olympics, then it can be given more exposure that is needed for the sport and if there is more exposure then there is a chance that more people would gain interest in the sport which can quite possibly lead to Ultimate Frisbee team being in schools, but this all will happen if it starts at the Olympic level first. Starting at the high school level is a great idea, but that only helps it on a smaller scope. If you for example compare Ultimate Frisbee on a high school level compared the Olympic level, there is no contest because the Olympics is on such a grander stage as I have stated before. What I would suggest to do is to start Ultimate Frisbee at the Olympic level first to help the sort gain recognition and exposure, and then start it at the high school level because that recognition and exposure that it can gather at the Olympics first can help it start at the high school level and bring some legitimacy towards the sport that is currently not seen on the high school level. The idea of starting it on the high school level does help Ultimate Frisbee in the long run because it can gain the interest of teenagers and possibly give a positive effect towards a younger generation. The more interest it can gather towards teenagers from across the world can quite possibly influence it being introduced at the collegiate level and maybe a professional level. The more, young men and women know about the sport the more it gives the sport and big opportunity to be noticed by a greater majority in the public eye. The sport itself is very progressive. It doesn’t matter how old you are or if you’re a boy or girl anyone can play which makes Ultimate Frisbee special. There has been some criticism with a lot of sports from across the world about having another sport that focuses on males rather than women.
Zara Cadoux, the director of high school programs at My Sister's Circle, and the co-founder of the Girls Ultimate Movement believes that “having Ultimate Frisbee in the Olympic games could possibly harm it and make it look like an all men's sport instead of the all-inclusive sport it was meant to be. Her points being that even with the recent success from the 2015 women's soccer team, there is a stigma that women's sports are unwatchable. Even though the Women's Cup Finals from the soccer team was the most watched soccer game in US history. That some athletes and organizers believe that promoting the men's division would give the sport and the Olympics more coverage and sponsorships which will then trickle down to the women's division. Yet by doing this it would get rid of Frisbee's reputation of being unique and different and the alternative to other sports. And by promoting the men's division first it would hurt, slow and potentially stop what the sport is known for which is a sport that has gender equality.” Those points she has are valid and she has made some strong points but she made the point of how the US female Olympic soccer team set the record for the most watched soccer game in US history. So as to what history has shown to us recently whether it is men or women playing as long as they are great players giving the audience a great and exciting game then it doesn't matter. The sport could be an all-female league and as long as it is received well by the public then this wouldn't be an issue. That is what makes Ultimate Frisbee unique because anybody and everybody can play regardless if you’re a man or a woman. Ultimate Frisbee isn’t really centralized around one specific gender. Ultimate Frisbee is one of the few sports that can have both men and women play together or play separately on a team. This goes back to the Ultimate Frisbee being a sport of equal play. Anybody can play regardless of physical prowess or skill or lack thereof.
I believe that Ultimate Frisbee should be a part of the Olympic games because the self-officiating rules of the game gives off a unique perspective towards a sport that hasn't been seen in the Olympics before. Compared to other sports Ultimate Frisbee is less costly compared to sports like parasailing and shooting. The game is based around a friendly sportsmanship nature which is needed for the Olympics. Ultimate Frisbees unorthodox style of play gives such a different dynamic that hasn’t been seen on the Olympic level regarding its self-officiating and its core idea of the spirit of the game. The interest in Ultimate Frisbee has been growing and unlike other sports Ultimate Frisbee is gender inclusive which means men and women can play the sport separately and together. Anyone can play Ultimate Frisbee regardless of sex or age. Lastly since the Olympics is a time to showcase the best athletes and teams from across the world and Ultimate Frisbee being the “ultimate” team sport can fit right in to that Olympic schedule. The Olympics is a time to show and celebrate sports so Ultimate Frisbee should be one of them.
Mr. Sabatino English 100
Room for Debate
Is Ultimate Frisbee Ready for the Olympics?
Ultimate Frisbee is a sport that puts sportsmanship above everything else and is a sport that can be played by anyone. This is the reason that Ultimate Frisbee should be a part of the Olympics is because it gives a new flavor and new attitude towards the Olympics, it is a sport that can be played by everyone and is a rising sport that should be awarded because of its popularity. It does something that is rarely seen in modern day sports which is put the sport itself above the athletes. A competitive nature is ingrained into every sport, but what makes Ultimate Frisbee special is that for the players it’s about family and the idea of teamwork and sportsmanship comes above individual goals or achievements. Usually sports teams have their stars and a lot of the attention goes towards them. For Ultimate Frisbee the focus is specially on the entire team. Everyone gets to play, everyone has the same amount of equal opportunity and everyone has the same love for the game. The Ultimate Frisbee discussion really boils down to whether or not Ultimate Frisbee is as popular as people think it is and whether or not over exposure towards the sport could potentially lead to the its own downfall. Here are some of the reasons why Ultimate Frisbee is ready to join the Olympic games.
Former Ultimate Frisbee coach Jody Avigran believes that “having Ultimate Frisbee join the Olympic games is huge for the Olympics and can be very successful for the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. One of his main points is that Ultimate Frisbee is a game of real sportsmanship where players are also their own referee and officiate their own game. His only concern is that have a player driven officiating body could be troublesome for the sport.” The counter argument that he has made that I also agree with is that for a long period of time the middle ground between the players has always been the heart of the game and because of this there should be no reason that the Olympics should not add Ultimate Frisbee to their long list of Olympic games. That common ground and sportsmanship is the heart of Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate Frisbee is essentially a team centric. From a distance and from a fans point of view, the Olympics seem more like the best individuals from different compiled together to become a team instead of the best TEAMS picked from all around the world. Speaking as a sports fan from the US and from what I see is that from many different sports like for example football, basketball and soccer, yes they are team sports, but a lot of the time the attention goes towards individuals like Tom Brady, Lebron James, Alex Rodriguez and Cristiano Ronaldo. There are many factors that influence this like the position they play, their style of play, marketing, the team they on, and so on and so forth. That common ground, that sportsmanship and solidarity makes Ultimate Frisbee very special and very different than any other sport we have seen because it doesn’t matter how tall, fast or strong you are, even though that can help, there is an equal standing among the players and with the teams that makes the game extremely fair. This fairness should really lighten the fear of a player driven officiating body and we haven’t really seen a self-officiating body on such a grand scale of the Olympics. Having all of this adds a whole new layer towards the Olympics games that has never been done before. The common worry is that Ultimate Frisbee will be sucked up into the political nature of the Olympics which has been plaguing the sport for quite a while.
Dave Zirin who is a sport's editor at The Nation and also author of "Brazil's Dance with the Devil: The World Cup, the Olympics and the Fight for Democracy." He gives an counter argument that the “Olympics would ruin the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. That the politics and money that is involved in the Olympic games could taint the game for the worse instead of the better.” He gives table tennis and badminton as examples and his reasons for this are “that the lure of Olympic gold and an overwhelming amount of patriotic pride could give off, he calls it, a kill or be killed type of mentality if the sport was in the hands of the International Olympic Committee.” He also has another argument that the Olympic committee should be trying to make the Olympics smaller, greener and friendlier.” My counter argument about the Olympics being too big and that incorporating it into the Olympic games could potentially ruin the sport entirely is that the entire base of the Olympic games is that it is a way for different cultures from around the world to come together. Sports like Badminton, Handball and Judo may not be seen as in such high regard as the other sports in the US, but are huge globally. That's why adding a sport like Ultimate Frisbee is important if you are going to try to make the Olympics greener and friendlier. You really can't get any friendlier than a sport that is entirely known for and based upon it's sportsmanship. If the International Olympic Committee stuck to the core essential tools of what Ultimate Frisbee is like the self-officiating and the self-appointed middle ground between the players. Any deviation from this could ruin the core fundamentals and the game entirely. I argue that since the Olympics is only every four years and is in my eyes as a global celebration of the best athletes and teams from across the world. We should be able to see the best athletes and teams including Ultimate Frisbee which is known as the ultimate team sport. There have been some questions on whether or not Ultimate Frisbee should be introduced to the younger generation first because a younger audience would be willing to ingratiate themselves more and more respected if it started at a high school level rather than a Olympic one.
Tiina Booth, founder of the National Ultimate Training Camp and Amherst Invitational, coaches the men's Ultimate team at a University in Massachusetts. She tells a story about “one of the campers she knows and how he wanted to get an Ultimate Frisbee team established at his school, but wasn't able due to some restrictions. Her viewpoint is that if it is incorporated into high school early then it would be much easier to have it professionally and in the Olympics and that being inexpensive could be the sports downfall because if it was legitimized in high school then money would have to be put in to get equipment and uniforms. And it is an understandable reasons the school won't sanction a team because it may be too costly for some schools to fund a new team and the sport doesn't lead to a NCAA scholarship.” My counter argument to that is that because of the roadblocks on the high school level it is better to have the sport legitimized on the Olympic level first. If Ultimate Frisbee is put on such a grander stage as the Olympics, then it can be given more exposure that is needed for the sport and if there is more exposure then there is a chance that more people would gain interest in the sport which can quite possibly lead to Ultimate Frisbee team being in schools, but this all will happen if it starts at the Olympic level first. Starting at the high school level is a great idea, but that only helps it on a smaller scope. If you for example compare Ultimate Frisbee on a high school level compared the Olympic level, there is no contest because the Olympics is on such a grander stage as I have stated before. What I would suggest to do is to start Ultimate Frisbee at the Olympic level first to help the sort gain recognition and exposure, and then start it at the high school level because that recognition and exposure that it can gather at the Olympics first can help it start at the high school level and bring some legitimacy towards the sport that is currently not seen on the high school level. The idea of starting it on the high school level does help Ultimate Frisbee in the long run because it can gain the interest of teenagers and possibly give a positive effect towards a younger generation. The more interest it can gather towards teenagers from across the world can quite possibly influence it being introduced at the collegiate level and maybe a professional level. The more, young men and women know about the sport the more it gives the sport and big opportunity to be noticed by a greater majority in the public eye. The sport itself is very progressive. It doesn’t matter how old you are or if you’re a boy or girl anyone can play which makes Ultimate Frisbee special. There has been some criticism with a lot of sports from across the world about having another sport that focuses on males rather than women.
Zara Cadoux, the director of high school programs at My Sister's Circle, and the co-founder of the Girls Ultimate Movement believes that “having Ultimate Frisbee in the Olympic games could possibly harm it and make it look like an all men's sport instead of the all-inclusive sport it was meant to be. Her points being that even with the recent success from the 2015 women's soccer team, there is a stigma that women's sports are unwatchable. Even though the Women's Cup Finals from the soccer team was the most watched soccer game in US history. That some athletes and organizers believe that promoting the men's division would give the sport and the Olympics more coverage and sponsorships which will then trickle down to the women's division. Yet by doing this it would get rid of Frisbee's reputation of being unique and different and the alternative to other sports. And by promoting the men's division first it would hurt, slow and potentially stop what the sport is known for which is a sport that has gender equality.” Those points she has are valid and she has made some strong points but she made the point of how the US female Olympic soccer team set the record for the most watched soccer game in US history. So as to what history has shown to us recently whether it is men or women playing as long as they are great players giving the audience a great and exciting game then it doesn't matter. The sport could be an all-female league and as long as it is received well by the public then this wouldn't be an issue. That is what makes Ultimate Frisbee unique because anybody and everybody can play regardless if you’re a man or a woman. Ultimate Frisbee isn’t really centralized around one specific gender. Ultimate Frisbee is one of the few sports that can have both men and women play together or play separately on a team. This goes back to the Ultimate Frisbee being a sport of equal play. Anybody can play regardless of physical prowess or skill or lack thereof.
I believe that Ultimate Frisbee should be a part of the Olympic games because the self-officiating rules of the game gives off a unique perspective towards a sport that hasn't been seen in the Olympics before. Compared to other sports Ultimate Frisbee is less costly compared to sports like parasailing and shooting. The game is based around a friendly sportsmanship nature which is needed for the Olympics. Ultimate Frisbees unorthodox style of play gives such a different dynamic that hasn’t been seen on the Olympic level regarding its self-officiating and its core idea of the spirit of the game. The interest in Ultimate Frisbee has been growing and unlike other sports Ultimate Frisbee is gender inclusive which means men and women can play the sport separately and together. Anyone can play Ultimate Frisbee regardless of sex or age. Lastly since the Olympics is a time to showcase the best athletes and teams from across the world and Ultimate Frisbee being the “ultimate” team sport can fit right in to that Olympic schedule. The Olympics is a time to show and celebrate sports so Ultimate Frisbee should be one of them.