It was borne upon the hard, rough asphalt of a high school parking lot in New Jersey in 1968. Now, over 30 years later, those prophetic words have come true. Played in over 42 countries around the world, Ultimate will be a medal sport in the 2001 World Games in Japan. In the original rules, no boundaries were set for field size, but Ultimate is usually played on a football-type field. To start, seven players form each team line up on the endlines.
Action is quick and constant.
There are no timeouts and after receiving the disc, a player only has 10 seconds to get rid of it or suffer a turnover. Points are scored by catching the frisbee in the endzone, and teams can choose to play to any odd number, usually 13 or 15. Although not as basic as it seems, the appeal lies in how Ultimate pulls aspects of different sports together in a rather unconventional way. But there is one thing all other sports have that Ultimate lacks - referees. There are no zebra-clad officials in black and white hovering over the athletes' shoulders, getting in their way and making the occasional bad call.