Crowd Spirit 
------------

From: parinell@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (James C Parinella) 
Subject: Re: National competition 
Date: 13 Jun 1994 17:14:07 GMT

In article <2t8mln$s6m@optima.cs.arizona.edu>
ho@cs.arizona.edu (Hilarie Orman) writes: > >The best stand
for the UPA is to drop the national competitions and >perhaps
give up the goal of making Ultimate a "major" sport.  That
>goal appears, in practice, to be antithetical with the
concept of SOTG >and the rather antiquated idea of good
sportmanship that most Ultimate >players try so hard to
embrace.

Why keep score at all then?  Why even have goals?  It's not
anti-SOTG to want to win a sport, an athletic contest.  The
friendliness of ultimate is a great thing.  Even bitter
enemies such as NY and Boston were seen together 12 hours
before their Easterns' game sharing daiquiris at the Mrs.
Dobynsmobile (thanks).  But I think people are a little caught
up in the whole idea that they forget that they play because
THEY ENJOY THE GAME.

Suppose the current "trend" of rudeness continues to grow, and
5 years from now the game resembles the basketball played in
"White Men Can't Jump" (nice sensitive name for a movie, BTW),
and suppose candlepin bowling suddenly earns a reputation for
Spirit of the Lane.  Would you start shopping around for
bowling shoes and loud shirts with your name scripted on them?
Would you start eating greasy bowling alley food?  I don't
think so.

Ultimate is a fun game to play.  It can be fun to watch.  Just
try to remember that.

Jim Parinella T-Man


From: parinell@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (James C Parinella) Subject: Re:
The Spirit of the Crowd...  Date: 13 Jun 1994 16:53:15 GMT


Picture this: Five years from now, a TV commercial for
"Ultimate Frisbee--It's FANNNNN-TASTIC.  The cameras will cut
to the crowd at the finals of some big tournament.  Maybe 60
people are there.  A group of 8 is sitting around a keg,
watching a teammate do a beer bong.  Another group of 12 is
huddled around another type of bong.  On the opposite side, at
least a few people are engaged in some disc related little
game, none of them wearing shoes and all of them clutching
beers.  Finally, the 20 or so people actually watching the
game because they're attached somehow to one or more of the
players are busy booing, heckling (not that heckling is bad),
and complaining.  Just something to consider.

Another scene: Finals at Easterns yesterday, maybe 60 people
out there watching.  After a perhaps bad travel call, the
sideline starts their tirade.  One of the players then quips,
"Isn't Spirit of the Game supposed to apply to the spectators
as well?"  There was silence for a second or two, then the
crowd bursts into laughter.  "Never mind."

Q.  How can you tell if an Ultimate player is complaining?  A.
His lips are moving.

Jim