On April 24th, the first ever, professional Ultimate Frisbee game was played, And the Connecticut Constitution was the first ever team to win a professional game of Ultimate.
Ultimate Frisbee, also referred to as Ultimate, is a fast growing sport in America. It pits two teams of 7 against each other, on a field 80 yards long and similar to the setup of a football field. The team on the offensive must pass the frisbee to a teammate in the end-zone to score, and you must not move while you are holding the frisbee. An incomplete pass, or a dropped frisbee results in a turnover, and the other team instantly gets a chance to score!
The American Ultimate Disc League, or AUDL, was created by Josh Moore and put into full force this spring. There are currently 8 teams in the AUDL, 4 in the west division, and 4 in the east division. In Addition to the 8 teams already in the League, more cities have bought spots in the league for next season. Some of these cities include, Boston, New York, Orlando and Seattle. 40 more teams will be set up and ready to play in the league come spring 2014.
Now that Ultimate has gone professional, it means that the players will be receiving paychecks, much like NFL, NBA, and NHL players. Now ultimate is a growing sport, and it’s pretty big, but it’s not as popular as other professional sport leagues. Salaries do however work the same way, in that players money comes from sponsorships, ticket sales, sales of merchandise, and concessions at the actual games. Players travel expenses are covered by these as well.
Although rules were established by USA ULTIMATE for club, high school and college teams, the AUDL has changed a few of them. The field is now 10 yards longer on each side, fouls now result in loss of yardage instead of a “do-over” and the game is now timed instead of playing to a pre-determined score. But perhaps the biggest rule change in the AUDL is the addition of referees to the field. Ultimate has always been a game of sportsmanship, players were responsible for calling there own fouls, talking out disputes on the field with each other, and calling things like they see them. Now that money is involved, and the sport has become more professional, referees will be making the calls, serving as a moderator instead of teams talking it out. The rule changes make for a more cut and dry rule calling effort, making the sport more professional.
Any game played in the American Ultimate Disc League can be streamed live on their website, www.theaudl.com. Tickets and Merchandise can also be purchased on the site, as well as sponsorship positions. You can also find links to videos and pictures of the games, as well as links to the AUDL’s social media pages.
Frisbee sure has come a long way since it’s creation in the 1940’s, wouldn’t you say?
