Ultimate

So...doing research for my Stanford essays this morning, I came across the UPA's site concerning the Spirit of the Game. Ultimate, of course. It has some of the best quotes I've ever heard. Seriously. Best quotes that I have ever heard. Inclusive. Such as this one, which actually brought tears to my eyes (at least momentarily):

"Once in awhile in an Ultimate game you go to absolute war, with an individual, or maybe an entire team. It may be when you're the two hottest players on the field that day, or when your teams trade every point, or maybe when you're down by 8 and bring it back to within two. It's these times, when you and the person you're matched up against are caked with dirt and drenched in sweat, when you've already left it all on the field but still find some way to run hard, that you find out about the real players. It's when you inspire your opponent and they inspire you not just to keep going, but to raise your level of play. And in the midst of the war, knowing only one of you can win, you play against your opponent the way you wish they'd play against you: with everything you've got left, respecting their efforts and their calls, because you know that no matter how bad they want to win, they're going to do it fairly. And when it's all over, when no matter what the outcome, you shake hands, look your opponent in the eye with a stare of mutual respect and say "nice D", that's Spirit of the Game."

It's true, too. And that's why I've written a couple of essays about Ultimate already.