June 16, 2016 by Charlie Eisenhood in Livewire, Video
Today, the New York Times published one of the better mainstream news articles you’ll see about ultimate. The article circles back to the long-time debate about officiation and Spirit of the Game in ultimate.
It quotes multiple stakeholders — WFDF President Robert “Nob” Rauch, USA Ultimate CEO Tom Crawford, MLU Executive VP Nic Darling, and AUDL Marketing Manager Tim DeByl — about referees, observers, and self-officiation. There’s nothing groundbreaking here for a close watcher of the sport, but it’s a nicely put together story about the situation.
Some choice quotes:
“One of the things the [International Olympic Committee] found intriguing about ultimate is that it kind of embodies the Olympic ideal. The athletes treat each other with dignity and respect. It’s a really unique ethos. It is baked into the sport; the I.O.C. saw that right away.” – Tom Crawford
“Sometimes a call between two players happens quickly, and you don’t know what’s going on. Games occasionally fall apart, there are some bad calls by players, and that’s a bad fan experience.” – Tim DeByl
“Once you move the sport from being player-focused to being fan-focused, referees are able to facilitate the game and make sure it operates at the best pace and the best spirit of fairness.” – Nic Darling
“We believe [referees are] unnecessary, and [the AUDL and MLU are] missing a big marketing opportunity.” – Nob Rauch
