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From: "er2de2" <tammo@freeuk.com>
To: <britdisc@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
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Subject: Re: Tour III - nanny state rule and its exploitation 
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 03:05:20 +0100
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May I respond to some of your postings:

Football analogies have been used to explain why DSM needed to be penalised.
To that my reply is: Ultimate isn't football. Football isn't Ultimate. In
football the team captains cannot agree to play with a non-endorsed ball; in
football the time limit and point target can't be modified by the team
captains and/or the tournament director; in football you cannot be sure that
the guy charging in from your blind side will make every effort to avoid a
collision. Need I go on?

Here's my view: Ultimate rules were designed to leave responsibility in the
hands of the players; rules have been worded to merely  provide a protocol
to keep the game flowing, to resolve controversy and to take away any
advantage gained by an infraction. Penalties have not been considered, as
they are deemed unnecessary in a game ruled by integrity and honesty. Having
no penalties is a key element of the 'spirit of the game' - lose this
concept, and you are indeed one step closer to football.   There is no
advantage in being outnumbered on the pitch, hence no rule is required to
rectify the situation. Without such a rule, BAF couldn't have gained an
advantage by refusing to play DSM.

You are right, Nolan. Some rules are required. We wouldn't want anarchy,
would we? Among other things, rules are required to resolve those issues
that the teams cannot resolve themselves. A team not showing up at all - now
here's a scenario that needs to be covered, for the sake of sticking to the
tournament schedule. As an 'incentive' to make teams more disciplined these
point penalties make sense indeed, at least until the moment the latecomers
can field a team (not necessarily seven players). Then you can start
>playing<. Ultimate >is< about playing the game, isn't it, Nolan?

Is it disrespectful of a team to field only six players, or five, or four?
If it is intentional and meant to humiliate a much weaker opponent - yes,
that's disrespectful and unspirited.  However, if it is because the team
doesn't have enough players available, for whatever reason - then IMHO the
answer is no;  they may be disorganised, foolish, depleted, or unlucky, but
unspirited? Hardly.

But hey, that's just >my< opinion. Some of you want to 'get real', 'get
serious',  make Ultimate a 'real sport' - if you think you need to
compromise a basic concept of the game to get there, then please consider
your position. More rules don't necessarily make the game better.

Over and out.

Tammo


P.S. It's reassuring that so many people on Britdisc take an interest in the
game beyond reading tournament reports; this list is so much more active
than its German equivalent.