Sexism in Ultimate

Is there sexism in Ultimate? If there is, is there enough that it should be addressed as a problem?

I have played Ultimate on multiple levels, but I still think my experience is very limited. In the small domain in which I have played Ultimate, I have experienced sexism coming from both men and women.

I think Ultimate is superior to many sports. The individuals that participate in the sport are generally more accepting than other sports. The crazy clothing styles and hats you see in Ultimate is much more prevalent than in mainstream sports like soccer. And, while some of these players are laughed at, other players that dress or look this way are celebrated (see: Robot).

While Ultimate is more accepting in some areas, I do not feel this excuses players for sexist remarks or acts. Ultimate, a sport I hold in high regard, combines a high level of acceptance alongside a high level of athleticism. I believe there is a high degree of sexism that should be severely reduced.

I see sexism take form in many forms, but I will only list some of the more prevalent ones here.

The first one being that women's Ultimate is not fun to watch. I love watching women's Ultimate myself. Aside from the fact that I get to watch beautiful women getting all hot, sweaty and physical. I also enjoy watching women who (like men) push themselves beyond their normal physical constraints to make spectacular plays. In the same way that men can make some sexy lay out Ds and grabs, women are able to achieve the same. They are both exciting to watch.

The second would be the whole "3 feet of water" thing. Some men (and women) say that watching a woman run in Ultimate is like watching a man run except that he's 3 feet deep in water. This comparison is both insulting to women and completely false. I say it's false because I have seen many a talented woman outrun a man on the field. My 17 year old teammate (18 in 5 days) Lisa regularly outruns and skies half the guys on my old college team at practice.

The last issue I want to bring up (and there are more) is the prevalence of men who do not throw to female teammates. The main reason for this, I believe, is that the guy doesn't trust his female teammate to catch the disc and then to make a complete throw. In doing this, the culprit (the guy) is robbing his female teammate of this valuable learning opportunity. She, like any other person; male or female, needs their teammates to give them plenty of opportunities with the disc in order to grow as a player. If this person is talented enough to make your team. Then this person's gender should not matter. If she/he can with the matchup, then trust them enough to give them the disc.

All in all, I believe there is a strong feeling of sexism that one can feel in the sport. While many will treat the issue lightly, I feel it is important for us to realize that it harms women, men and the sport of Ultimate by not addressing the issue head on. Therefore, I encourage all of you to help police your teammates and Ultimate friends to reduce sexism within our beloved sport. I love inviting women to try out Ultimate. I want them to experience the same joy that I do. I am able to enjoy the game without slurs against my gender. I believe they should have that same liberty.