Ultimate, originally known as ultimate frisbee, is a non-contact team sport played with a disc flung by hand. Ultimate was developed in 1968 by Joel Silver in Maplewood, New Jersey. Although ultimate resembles many traditional sports in its athletic requirements, it is unlike most sports due to its focus on self-officiating, even at the highest levels of competition. The term "frisbee" is a registered trademark of the Wham-O toy company, and thus the sport is not formally called "ultimate Frisbee", though this name is still in common casual use. Points are scored by passing the disc to a teammate in the opposing end zone. Other basic rules are that players must not take steps while holding the disc, and interceptions, incomplete passes, and passes out of bounds are turnovers. Rain, wind, or occasionally other adversities can make for a testing match with rapid turnovers, heightening the pressure of play.
The American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) is an ultimate disc league in North America. The AUDL was founded in 2010, and played its inaugural season in 2012 with eight teams. Regular season games are played April through July. The playoffs consist of three rounds: divisional wild card round, division championships, and finally culminating in a final four style showcase known as AUDL Championship Weekend in August. The winner of each division's championship game advances to Championship Weekend, with semifinals on Saturday and the championship game played on Sunday.
The Philadelphia Spinners were a professional ultimate team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were founded in 2012 by Katrel Kelly and David Fitzgerald as a team in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), but then moved to Major League Ultimate (MLU) in 2013. They played in the MLU until the league was suspended in 2016. The team played in various stadiums throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.
The Detroit Mechanix are an American professional ultimate frisbee team based in Madison Heights, Michigan. The Mechanix compete in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) as a member team of the league's Central Division. The Mechanix began play in 2012 as one of the eight charter teams of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The team is owned by Brent Steepe and was founded in 2010.
The New York Empire is an ultimate team in the American Ultimate Disc League based in New York City. The team is in the East Division of the league, and won its first AUDL title in 2019 and its second in 2022. The Empire played its first season in 2013.
The Cincinnati Revolution was a professional ultimate disc team, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, which competed in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). It was one of the eight charter teams in the AUDL, having competed in the league's Midwestern Conference since its inception in 2012. Originally based in Lexington, Kentucky, and playing as the Bluegrass Revolution, the Cincinnati Revolution moved to Cincinnati before the 2013 season. They played their home games at Sheakley Athletic Center, at the University of Cincinnati. As The Bluegrass Revolution, they played at Henry Clay High School in Lexington KY.
The Madison Radicals are a semi-professional ultimate team that competes in the Central Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The Radicals play their home games at Breese Stevens Field in downtown Madison. Since the team's inception in 2013, they have won five regular season divisional titles in eight seasons. After losing in the AUDL championship games in 2013 and 2015, the Radicals claimed its first championship in 2018. Madison also hosted AUDL Championship Weekends in 2016 and 2018, the latter of which coincided with a championship win.
The Chicago Union is a professional ultimate team that competes in the Central Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was originally branded as the Windy City Wildfire. In their first year, the Wildfire had the best record in the then-Midwest Division and qualified for the playoffs in its first three seasons. They play home games at De La Salle Institute, in the South Side of Chicago.
The 2015 American Ultimate Disc League season was the fourth season for the league. Each team played a 14-game schedule. The San Jose Spiders won the AUDL Championship over the Madison Radicals at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, California. The Spiders won the championship despite entering the final four with the lowest seed after a regular-season finish of 10-4.
The Austin Sol is a professional ultimate team from Austin, Texas playing in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was founded in 2016, and played its first match on April 2, 2016. The Sol play their home games at Westlake Chaparral Stadium. The owner and general manager of the Sol is Patrick Christmas, the head coach is Steven Naji, and the assistant general manager is Ryan Purcell.
The Atlanta Hustle is a professional ultimate frisbee franchise based out of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. They compete as one of 25 teams in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL), playing in the league's South Division.
The Tampa Bay Cannons were a professional ultimate team in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL) based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Cannons were active from 2015 to 2022.
The 2017 American Ultimate Disc League season was the sixth season for the league. The San Francisco FlameThrowers won the championship, the team's first title. The league featured twenty-four teams in four divisions, and for the first time, teams played interdivisional games. Eleven Sports Network joined the league as a broadcast partner for the first time, broadcasting a limited slate of games.
The Nashville NightWatch were a professional ultimate team from Nashville, Tennessee playing in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League. The team was founded in 2015 and folded after the 2018 season.
The 2019 American Ultimate Disc League season was the eighth season for the league. It began on April 5, 2019, and concluded on August 11, 2019, when the New York Empire defeated the Dallas Roughnecks to earn the team's first title. Ben Jagt of the Empire won his first league MVP award after the season. The season marked Steve Hall's first as league commissioner, and was the first with an all-star game for the league.
The Dallas Legion, formerly the Dallas Roughnecks are a professional ultimate team that competes in the South Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). Founded in 2015, the team played their first year in the 2016 AUDL season, wherein they won the championship title.
The Los Angeles Aviators are a professional Ultimate team that competes in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The Aviators played their first season in 2015.
The San Diego Growlers are a professional Ultimate team that plays in the West Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). They played their first season in 2015.
The Premier Ultimate League (PUL) is a professional women's ultimate disc league that formed in 2019. The mission of the PUL is "to achieve equity in the sport of ultimate by increasing accessibility to the sport for, and visibility of women, transgender, intersex, non-binary, genderqueer, and genderfluid people through high-quality competition, leadership experiences, and community partnerships". The league strives for gender, racial, and economic diversity in the sport of ultimate frisbee. PUL players are paid $40 per league game.
The Boston Glory is a professional ultimate team that plays in the East Division of the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The team was announced on December 4, 2019, and played its first season in 2021 owing to the Covid-related cancellation of the AUDL 2020 season.
