From players:

The player quotes below just scratch the surface. To add your two cents on Spirit of the Game, send a short message (50 words or less) to for addition to this page.

The Spirit of the Game is running after the disc like its the thing you want the most in the entire world, laying out, and making the catch (It's such an awesome feeling). Then, when you think it can't be any better, as you stand up in the endzone, you see not only your team, but your opponents cheering and congratulating you. It's calling a foul on yourself. It's playing at the highest level your capable. It's helping new players keep their forehands from flopping over. And It's definitely a Beautiful Thing. Mike Costa

Play hard, have fun, nobody gets hurt! Tim McGinnis

Spirit of the game is how you feel when the losing captain comes up after the game to congratulate you, not on the win but on the foul you called on yourself. It is something to be more proud of than the most killer inside-out. Chris Bostic

After a life threatening car accident, my doctor told me that I could not participate in any more team sports. As a fanatical athlete, that was really hard to accept. My concussions were so serious that I can't even ride a bike. Spirit of the game is what allows me to play ultimate.
Sam Payne

"Spirit of the game creates team unity. Spirit of the Game results in fewer disputes and peaceful resolution of inevitable disputes. It is concern with what you are doing, not beating the rules. Spirit of the game means more fun and great public relations for Ultimate, that results in more fields for more tournaments!"

"We completely gelled and every single player rose their game to the highest level. We ended up winning. But the great part wasn't winning - it was seeing everyone get a look of determination and turning it into something."

"Spirit of the Game is to 'be cool.' Play hard, be better, but don't be an asshole. NO deliberate fouling... Be considerate about missunderstood rules, not cocky. No spiking, no trash talking (unless they're friends like that), no dangerous play and make your own calls fairly. And it's "contest" or "no contest" no yelling and spitting about it."

"Spirit of the Game is the ability to play fair yet compete as hard as you can."

"I want everyone to have the opportunity to take from ultimate what I got: a strong and stable self-image and an ability to combine respect and competition in a positive way."

"Coed ultimate is more involved with how a team works together. Integrating team members with varying skill levels becomes more important than putting the best players forward. Coed ultimate puts people in situations where adjustment, accommodation, and inclusion result in a better team and a better experience. This makes it an excellent model for learning and applying important life skills. Coed Ultimate is the best argument for participation in sports I have ever experienced."

"We must have slid 15 feet on our bellies. I was so excited to be playing with so many great people in one place. I had never played with so many fun loving, skilled, weather be damned great people. My opponent was a top player and competing step for step all the way to the end zone on a long huck was a challange in itself, but my first layout D was about a leap of faith that set a fire for my spirit for the game."

"I believe self-regulation imposes a responsible attitude among young athletes. The concept of Spirit of the Game is well received at all my teacher presentations."

"The spirit of Ultimate is an ever-present attitude of RESPECT for another athlete's ability to compete at his/her potential. It's an appreciation for the opportunity to participate within guidelines of the sport."

"Ultimate was such an important and positive part of my emotional, physical, and social maturation. I want others to have the same opportunity."

"I kept getting better and more intense. And you know, one day I was thinking back to college, wondering what made me so excited to spend 20 hours a week running around a field, and I realized that it was love. Love for my teammates as much as for the game."

"Of all sports I've played, frisbee is the most flowing, free and creative, allowing participation at all ages, genders and abilities. That's why I continue to play it above all. Okay, so I can't resist. It's a part of me."

"Spirit of the Game is to play competitively, but not win at all costs; helping someone make the correct call, not yelling at someone to make the call you want; returning the disc to a new player who makes a violation he has no idea he or she is making; playing a hard fought game, then telling tall tales with your opponent afterwards."

"My best moment in Ultimate was when my team won the SOTG award. Although we got stomped, it was amazing to stand next to the champions - receive a killer fruit basket - and get cheered as loud as the folks who won it."

"Spirit of the game is similar to marshal arts philosophy - you learn these techniques that could potentially injure others, but you learn honor and discipline. These guide your actions so you only use your knowledge for defense. Spirit of the game is the embodiment of honor that all players must have in the sport. It's realizing that playing hard is important but that playing fairly and with honor is vastly more important than winning."

"I shifted to Ultimate because of my love of Spirit."

Spirit of the Game
How to explain
It's the special energy inside
The bubbling froth, hard to hide
The style in your smiles
That makes you run for miles
Consideration of others
Sisters running with brothers
Safety applied to play
Positive in what you say
Spreading happy and filling ears
With creative, funny amazing cheers
That which lifts us up above
So we may share the love
by Everett Kramer

"We sang and we danced and we challenged every opponent to a dip and we were awarded the Spirit of the Game award. Utter disbelief struck. Forming the first Ultimate team was the original goal, going to Worlds pure fantasy, but to get there and bring back the Spirit of the Game award when the players themselves never thought they were capable of playing with respect, honor and joy was the formula for dumbstruck ecstacy."

"It is amazing to watch the transition kids go through as they learn to respect each other and the spirit with which Ultimate should be played."

"Spirit of the Game separates Ultimate from other sports - it represents sportsmanship, fair play, and fun for all. It is the essence of Ultimate - the cheers, the comeraderie, the extracurricular activities. It is what drew me to the sport & is what will keep me in it... well probably forever. Ultimate is not ultimate without SOTG."

"Spirit of the Game is leading by example."

"Everybody pulls for everybody else; ego is sublimated in favor of the greater glory of the game and players enjoying it."

"As we stood on the line awaiting the pull, the crowd started to quietly applaud, then sustained applause for over a minute. On the line, the hair on my neck stood up. I've always thought, this was an acknowledgment of the team and its commitment to fair play and Spirit of the Game." Rude Boy

"Once in awhile in an Ultimate game you go to absolute war, with an individual, or maybe an entire team. It may be when you're the two hottest players on the field that day, or when your teams trade every point, or maybe when you're down by 8 and bring it back to within two. It's these times, when you and the person you're matched up against are caked with dirt and drenched in sweat, when you've already left it all on the field but still find some way to run hard, that you find out about the real players. It's when you inspire your opponent and they inspire you not just to keep going, but to raise your level of play. And in the midst of the war, knowing only one of you can win, you play against your opponent the way you wish they'd play against you: with everything you've got left, respecting their efforts and their calls, because you know that no matter how bad they want to win, they're going to do it fairly. And when it's all over, when no matter what the outcome, you shake hands, look your opponent in the eye with a stare of mutual respect and say "nice D", that's Spirit of the Game."

"Spirit of the game is listening to an opponent with respect, even when you disagree." Lori DeWolf-Grise

From the Official Rules of Ultimate (9th Edition):

"Spirit of the Game - Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player himself. Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win at all costs' behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players."

"Captain's Clause - A game may be played under any variation of the rules agreed upon by the captains of the two teams. In tournament play, such variations are subject to the approval of the tournament director. Such things as length of game, dimensions of the field, an stalling count can easily be altered to suit the level of play."

"The purpose of the rules of Ultimate is to provide a guideline which describes the way the game is played. It is assumed that no Ultimate player will intentionally violate the rules; thus there are no harsh penalties for inadvertent infractions, but rather a method for resuming play in a manner which simulates what most likely would have occurred had there been no infraction."

"In Ultimate, an intentional foul would be considered cheating and a gross offense against the spirit of sportsmanship. Often a player is in a position where it is clearly to his/her advantage to foul or commit some violation, but that player is morally bound to abide by the rules. The integrity of Ultimate depends on each player's responsibility to uphold spirit of the game, and this responsibility should not be taken lightly."

These elements of the rules set Ultimate apart from all competitive team sports. For over 30 years, Ultimate has flourished, reaching a highly competitive level, without the use of referees. In Ultimate, the honor system works. Sure, human nature rears its ugly head in Ultimate - just as in any sport, just as in life. Utopia ultimate is not. Yet, one of the many beauties of Ultimate is how, even amid the most difficult of situations, utmost graciousness is allowed to meet that challenge head on. Through this balance, ultimate players are free to demonstrate the most honorable and the most joyous sides of human nature in sport.

Most Ultimate players care deeply about Spirit of the Game. The organizational challenge for the UPA - the Players' Association - then, is to foster an environment where the challenge does not become, "to see what I can get away with". Rather than dictate what Spirit of the Game is or should be, it is up to each player to do so for him or herself within the context of the teams he or she plays with and against.

Information about the Farricker Spirit Award