So if this polar attitude is potentially harmful, then can we find a better way to define the relationship between competitiveness and spirit of the game? First let's explore the key words in this equation. Primarily what do we understand as competition and spirit of the game. Doing a casual survey I discovered that for a lot of players, the words "competition", or "competitive" have negative connotations. Through their experience playing and observing sports, people have wrongly associated a few negative characteristics with competition, characteristics that don't necessarily belong. Some of these include aggression, insensitivity, selfishness and "must-win" attitudes. I agree that these things often show up in competitive situations, but that does not mean they are a necessary ingredient.

I decided I'd try to define how I understood the idea of playing "competitively." Webster's Dictionary defines competition as the process of two or more parties striving for one objective or prize. Not a bad definition I think. How I view the concept of competition is to use this process as a form of challenge. In a team sport, by creating an objective, we use our teammates and our opponents to challenge us. Conquering a challenge is an exhilarating feeling, and that is the experience that keeps drawing us back to competitive situations. Wanting to win is an integral part of this process; there's not much challenge if both parties aren't vying for the same goal. I simply want to point out that "having to win" isn't part of being competitive. In fact if you need to win to feel good about yourself and/or the experience, then competition really isn't for you.

Now spirit of the game is another issue to define in itself. Cheering, goofing around, partying,… these can be forms of spirit, but again they are not a necessary part. In the previous issue I defined spirit as a physical and mental respect for other players. Physical respect means pushing myself and my opponents to our best, but never at the risk of serious injury. Mental respect is acknowledging other people's ability to make decisions and recognizing that they will make decisions the best they know how, given what's important to them. I won't like every call or play out there, but resenting and antagonizing doesn't change anything.

So what's the relationship between competition and spirit all about? Well we now have a picture of a competitive ultimate player as someone who enjoys the process of challenging themselves through their opponents and teammates. This is a perception that transcends all skill levels. Playing competitively is simply striving for improvement individually and as a team. If we look at spirit of the game as a physical and mental respect for others then this seems to fit perfectly with competition. In fact it occurs to me that the epitome of competition is the same as ultimate spirit. They are synonymous, and as players we should strive for both equally all the time.

"With this new concept in my bag, how do I look at those old stereotypes?" you ask. Simply expand your vocabulary. Let's refer to players and teams more accurately. We can have to over-aggressive types, the insensitive selfish types, the obsessed with winning teams. We can also have to party teams, the fun teams, the non-serious players. It sure seems better then just saying they're too competitive, or they're a spirit team.

My goal for this exercise is for us to gain a better understanding on how our sport should be played competitively. Most of us probably already have our own concepts, but gaining a common language is always valuable. As our sport continues to be introduced on the world stage, our sport philosophy will increasingly come under the microscope of the world of competitive athletics. We have a unique and groundbreaking philosophy by which we play. I'd hate for the spirit of our game to be lost or changed as ultimate joins the mainstream.

– Jeff Warner