Dylan Tunnel of the Atlanta Chain Lighting looks downfield during USA Ultimate's Pro Flight Finale even in Davis, Calif.
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The game is growing. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, participation in Ultimate is up 27%, to 5.1 million, over the past six years. (More than one-third of Ultimate players are women; some top competitions have mixed teams.) In 2008, 319 high school teams played in tournaments sanctioned by USA Ultimate. Last year 530 teams played--a 66% spike. The demographics are ideal for advertisers. More than half the Ultimate players fall in the key 18-to-34 age category, and 27% of them earn more than $100,000. Which makes sense, since so many players pick up the game at elite universities. "In college, you have time to slack off and work hours and hours and hours to develop these skills," says Marsh, 29, a Harvard alum.
Ultimate is easy to play--and follow. At the top amateur levels, the field is 110 yd. long, including 20-yd. end zones, and 40 yd. wide. The game is seven vs. seven; you try to advance the Frisbee up the field by throwing it to a teammate. The defense attempts to deflect or intercept it and gain possession. Once you catch the Frisbee, you must stop as quickly as possible, then pivot and make the next pass.
Reach the end zone, you get a point. First to 15 wins. "I just think it's so similar to other sports--it's played on a football field--that sports fans can relate," says Todd Myers, director of programming and acquisitions at ESPN, explaining his attraction to Ultimate. "It's amazing that these guys and gals can chuck the Frisbee 50 yards down the field, right on the money, and somebody makes a spectacular catch. There's just a wow factor." Myers won't reveal specific usage numbers for ESPN3's first two Ultimate events, but "we're happy," he says. "It's certainly a passionate fan base."
Ultimate Challenge
The sport's future, though promising, is also uncertain, thanks in part to a philosophical divide within Ultimate. At issue: How fiercely should the game be contested? Throughout its 40-plus-year history, Ultimate has eschewed referees, relying instead on a "spirit of the game" mantra by which players make their own calls. "This is what separates Ultimate from other sports," says USA Ultimate CEO Tom Crawford. If Ultimate has any hope of getting into the Olympics, says Crawford, the sport must stick to its roots. "The whole idea of athletes getting along well and negotiating calls and practicing fair play aligns with the Olympic values," says Crawford.
To the two new pro leagues, however, such la-di-da thinking is dopey. "The reason Ultimate hasn't caught on, by and large, is because it has a rules problem," says Nic Darling, executive vice president for MLU, which has teams in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Vancouver, Seattle and Portland, Ore. "They haven't been designed with the fan in mind." No one wants to watch two players, cordially or otherwise, discussing a call. It slows the game down. This isn't a peace summit.