March 24, 2020

In Wisconsin, we are specifically forbidden to play ultimate frisbee.

From the Wisconsin Emergency Order, issued today:
11. Essential Activities. Individuals may leave their home or residence to
perform any of the following....
c. Outdoor Activity. To engage in outdoor activity, including visiting public and state parks, provided individuals comply with Social Distancing Requirements as defined below. Such activities include, by way of example and without limitation, walking, biking, hiking, or running. Individuals may not engage in team or contact sports such as by way of example and without limitation, basketball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, or football, as these activities do not comply with Social Distancing Requirements. Playgrounds are closed.
I know, they needed to make a list of the wrong kind of sports. They had basketball, soccer, and football, and then they decided to add ultimate frisbee. Care to speculate about why? I'm thinking it's some sort of "diversity" concept, and I googled what kind of people play ultimate frisbee. Funnily, I got a Reddit discussion begun with my question, word for word, except for that last word, "frisbee" (because the name of the game was changed to just "ultimate" a while back).

Here's an NPR interview from 2008. It says that "For decades, ultimate has been popular among the tech-savvy elite of Silicon Valley," and "it's self-refereed, appealing to the libertarian ethos of most computer engineers." We're told it's "kind of a nerd sport," and "There's a lot of nerds who play it."

I'm picturing the drafters of the Wisconsin order — in the midst of all the coronacrazy — worrying that it might seem racially biased to permit walking, biking, hiking, and running and forbid basketball, soccer, and football. They brainstormed What's a contact sport that white people like?

Ah, yes, remember "Stuff White People Like"? #110 on the list was "Frisbee Sports":
It is important to know that when you hear a white person saying “we should do some ultimate this weekend” or “I’m so pumped for ultimate,” they are talking about a sport and not an “ultimate solution”-type race war. Though a quick look at a field full of Ultimate Frisbee players might lead one to surmise that an ethnic cleansing has taken place....

It can be jarring to see people who look like they should be playing acoustic guitars yelling at each other about whether or not Blake stepped out of bounds.... Since the sport has yet to be integrated, you could command a high fee in terms of money or favors if you agree to join one of the many white leagues in your area....

96 comments:

Larvell said...

I mean, hockey, right? It is Wisconsin.

Mark said...

For a while here in progressive hipster Arlington, there was a big push from the usuals that we needed to spend a lot of money on bocce ball courts in all our parks.

GingerBeer said...

They left off Frisbee golf. Woohoo! There are three courses in Madison.

Bay Area Guy said...

Not convinced they should allow frisbee football even after the fatal pandemic recedes...,..

rehajm said...

There is contact in ultimate frisbee. There are also FOUR different leagues in Madison. Seems like a big deal there...

It is nerd but it's diverse. I walked by a hard core game on a lawn at King's College with two gender and ethnically diverse teams, like quidditch at Hogwarts.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Forbidding la crosse would be simultaneously PC and un-PC.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

What's a contact sport that white people like?

Soccer.

Shouting Thomas said...

The demise of the weblog, even ones that were spectacularly popular for a short time like Things White People Like, is a remarkable phenomenon.

The weblog era was incredibly short lived. I remember when I read a couple dozen every day. Now, I’m down to Althouse and Steve Sailer.

I do continue to keep a weblog going, although I don’t promote it in any meaningful way. There’s a limit, surprisingly, to how much attention I want. It’s hard for me to understand how the prof tolerates the level of attention her weblog brings to her. One of the things I learned as a performing musician is that public attention is almost always as much a negative as a positive.

L Day said...

I don't know the sport of Ultimate Frisbee, but if it involves any surface that multiple people touch with their hands it would present obvious risks.

L Day said...

Do multiple people touch any one surface in the game of ultimate frisbee? If so, that would clearly present a transmission hazard.

L Day said...

Watched a youtube video. Naw, man. You can't play ultimate frisbee, it's a lot like touch football.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

That’s an amusing post. I’ll be one of the first ten posts once you do a little spam clean up. Weird how Blogger is continually fooled by these guys.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

There’s a loophole for hacky sack.

rhhardin said...

Frisbees are delicate designs. A pie plate won't work. The lift from the front and back edges have to be equal or it will roll left or roll right, and this has to work over quite a range of speeds. Pie plates roll fast and right away.

The typical frisbee flight shows slight imperfections in this as it slows and then turns.

stevew said...

Maybe it is simply an example of a sport or activity in which people come in contact with each other or a common object? Ultimate is similar to the other sports listed in that way.

Known Unknown said...

I don't get shutting down golf courses. Clubhouses? Sure.

stevew said...

Phew, this is exhausting. TTFN.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Someone is getting exercised about this.

stevew said...

Known Unknown: a buddy of mine that is retired and living in FL says his main course is open but they make players go one per cart if they aren't walking, and prohibit touching of the flag stick on the greens. Otherwise the game continues. His course is in a gated community, they aren't allowing non-residents on.

mockturtle said...

I never could throw a frisbee. I can swing a golf club, a tennis racket and throw a pretty mean baseball but I never got the knack of frisbee throwing.

Clyde said...

I visualize Ultimate Frisbee players as hipsters with beards and man-buns. Perhaps I'm being unfair. Perhaps.

Michael K said...

Well the present governor is a Democrat. No sports for you !

Clyde said...

Mockturtle, the key to throwing a frisbee is knowing that it is going to arc. You can't throw it in a straight line, because it's going to curve out and then curve back in.

stevew said...

There is something quite pleasing in throwing a frisbee well.

n.n said...

Diversity and exclusion? Perhaps circumstantially. Racially, sexually, and other classes of color judgments, bigotry, and their socially progressive labels. Probably not.

robother said...

My grandson is on an Ultimate Frisbee team. As best as I could make out, its kind of the same thing as I experienced playing touch football in Texas. The thrill of breaking open and grabbing a pass (or its opposite, intercepting a pass) without enduring the unpleasant sensations of being violently thrown to the ground.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Drinking forties is still allowed, as long as they’re kept in paper bags. Depositing used needles in the bafroom still okay, as long as they go in the proper receptacle. As with any other activities, maintain six feet distance from others trying to enjoy the park.

mockturtle said...

Clyde, too late for me, I'm afraid. ;-) It was the initial execution, the frisbee leaving my hand, that I never got right.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Drinking forties is still allowed, as long as they’re kept in paper bags. Depositing used needles in the bafroom still okay, as long as they go in the proper receptacle. As with any other activities, maintain six feet distance from others trying to enjoy the park.

mockturtle said...

The weekly bridge game is gone, too [do people still play? I haven't played in years] as is poker night.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I don't get shutting down golf courses. Clubhouses? Sure.

Someone the other day reported that a person in a house along a golf course called the police because people were out on the greens, observing whatever rules the course had put in place. The police. Oh my GOD I hate people sometimes.

Here's an idea, you hideous old bat (and you know it was a woman): if you're so afraid of people walking around, continue to stay inside your house and leave other people the goddamn hell alone.

Clyde said...

It's all in the wrist, mockturtle.

Automatic_Wing said...

I used to play ultimate frisbee and I play acoustic guitar now. They have me pegged!

robother said...

Can one ask, is there any objective explosion of WuFlu cases that would justify locking down the whole state of Wisconsin? It really does seem that every Democrat governor is determined to damage the economy in the name of this apocalyptic crisis to ensure a Democrat takeover of DC n November. Or is it really as simple minded as Cuomo's "if it just saves one life"?

iowan2 said...

I spent hours playing frisbee catch with myself as a kid.

I would skim the frisbee up the garage roof, into a west wind. The frisbee would clear the peak, catch the wind and back it would come.

You had to make your own fun on the farm.

Automatic_Wing said...

Drinking forties is still allowed, as long as they’re kept in paper bags. Depositing used needles in the bafroom still okay, as long as they go in the proper receptacle. As with any other activities, maintain six feet distance from others trying to enjoy the park.

Just forties? What if I have an Olde English double deuce? I need guidance from my government!

Inga said...

Why ban ultimate Frisbee? No touchee.

JES said...

Our golf course website let it be known that the course is closed and police can be called if you are spotted playing and a fine would be in order. However, the clubhouse is still selling pizza.
Another question: Are liquor stores an essential service? Just asking for a friend.

Meade said...

" Are liquor stores an essential service?"

You're not from Wisconsin, are you.

chuck said...

The "libertarian ethos of most computer engineers" has passed into history.

Diogenes of Sinope said...

Is there a legal basis for Wisconsin's governor's order? Are there any limits on Evers' order? If so what are those limits?

mockturtle said...

It's all in the wrist, mockturtle.
That's what everyone told me, Clyde, but it didn't help.

reader said...

Our city (Poway, Ca) has closed all parks and trails. San Diego county has closed all beaches and parks.

Mr. Majestyk said...

Carleton College, where I went to school, is a Division III college in all sports, except Ultimate, where it is Division I. It has won the National Championship in Ultimate 4 times. It also has a Division III team, which has won that championship twice. Not that I'm bragging or anything.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Saying “It’s all in the wrist” doesn’t help at all. That advice probably leads people to exaggerate the wrist motion, which is counterproductive. The wrist is indeed important, but no more so than the elbow, shoulder, stance, and other factors. Keep good balance, stay fairly loose, and fling the fingers forward upon release. For a standard throw, the wrist shouldn’t bend much at all. Above all, PRACTICE, and you’ll get the hang of it, Mock.

Zach said...

I never could throw a frisbee. I can swing a golf club, a tennis racket and throw a pretty mean baseball but I never got the knack of frisbee throwing.

The spin is the important part. You can throw a frisbee very hard if you spin it very hard, but if you don't have any spin it will just flap around.

A forehand throw is easiest: hook the inside of your middle finger on the inner rim of the frisbee, and throw it like you're making a karate chop. The frisbee's weight will sling it around your finger and naturally give it a lot of spin.

Narr said...

SWPL ? Is that still a thing?

As asportsual as I am, I insisted that my son at least know how to throw and to catch a frisbee and a football without looking like a spazz.

The mayor here has finally dropped the cower-in-place bomb . . . but you can go out for a long list of reasons and unless I'm much mistaken beer and liquor can still be bought and carried home, like other necessities.

Narr
Yummm, poker . . .

Art in LA said...

No tennis in SoCal except for rebels and those with private courts. Unfortunate. I wonder how many incremental deaths from lack of fitness?

Zach said...

My grandson is on an Ultimate Frisbee team. As best as I could make out, its kind of the same thing as I experienced playing touch football in Texas. The thrill of breaking open and grabbing a pass (or its opposite, intercepting a pass) without enduring the unpleasant sensations of being violently thrown to the ground.

That's part of the appeal. The other part is that because a frisbee moves more slowly than a football, there's more time to make a play on it in the air. A deep pass might be caught fifty yards from the receiver's location at the time of the throw. That also means that the defender can make a play on anything that's in the air for very long, so there's a big advantage to being able to shape your throws so that only the intended receiver has a shot at it.

The ten second throw count means that you have to cover the receivers for much longer than in football, where giving the quarterback more than about four seconds is suicide. It tends to favor people who can run at top speed for a long time.

robother said...

Denver did not include liquor stores or marijuana stores in its exceptions from the lock-down. That lasted all of 4 hours. Who says drunks and dopers aren't in touch with politics? Guns and ammunition, of course, are non essential. I mean it's not like bearing arms is protected under the Constitution like abortion or anything.

h said...

A town near me has padlocked the dog park. These people are actually eroding our confidence in government, and buttressing the view that government regulators are petty power hungry despots with no commonsense or rationality. These kind of actions can do nothing but cause more damage to public health. And they end up increasing the probability that Trump will be reelected.

Josephbleau said...

Wisconsin, eight drinks a week? No eight drinks a day.

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.

Josephbleau said...


Eight beers a week? No eight beers a day.

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.

n.n said...

>The "libertarian ethos of most computer engineers" has passed into history.

Tamped down by allegations of diversity, not limited to race and sex.

Clyde said...

@ Josephbleau
That was one of my favorite songs at the bierfests in Bavaria in the good old days, almost 40 years ago.

Also good:

Bier her, Bier her, oder ich fall um,
Bier her, Bier her, oder ich fall um.
Soll das Bier im Keller liegen,
Und ich hier die Ohnmacht kriegen,
Bier her, bier her, oder ich fall um.

[Beer here, beer here, or I will fall over,
Bier here, beer here, or I will fall over.
Should the beer lie in the cellar
While I'm here about to faint?
Beer here, beer here, or I will fall over.]

Narr said...

Just because it's late, and I used to throw the frisbee with him,
I'm going quote a lyric contrived by a friend from high school--

To the tune of "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke," altogether now

I'd like to buy the world a rope, and tie it in a noose,
Grow nightshade trees and bumble bees, and let the plague run loose.

I'd like to see the world for once, crawl up it's own ass,
I'd give the world an enema and let the whole thing pass.

Narr
Sweet dreams, and I hope we all survive the night

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Ultimate is what the serious players call it now. Watched a few minutes of an ultimate league game in Cambridge last summer, so I can see why it would be banned along with football, basketball, and soccer. But what about recreational baseball or softball leagues? They are team sports, but not listed.

I would imagine you could still play frisbee catch with your housemate. We’re thinking about getting some disc golf baskets for the yard.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Bocce is another lawn game that should satisfy the social distancing requirements.

Ty said...

Zach said...

The spin is the important part. You can throw a frisbee very hard if you spin it very hard, but if you don't have any spin it will just flap around.


This is 100% the key to throwing a frisbee. It took me years to finally figure this out, but in my defense, I am a not that bright.

David Begley said...

Carlton College has a very good Ultimate Frisbee team.

Yancey Ward said...

Only a matter of time before they tell you you can't fuck.

walter said...

Fortunately, unremarkable ad hoc frisbee is unaffected.

yancey..Drudge had a link yesterday along those lines..safest love is self love or the like.

Yancey Ward said...

I killed a man with a frisbee once.

walter said...

..just to watch him die.

walter said...

Twice would have been overkill.

Yancey Ward said...

Well, with the demise of Ultimate Frisbee, ESPN is out of live sports programming except for cat juggling.

walter said...

A mask really enhances a poker face.
For ultimate safety, there's web-streamed turtle racing.

n.n said...

Only a matter of time before they tell you you can't fuck.

You just have to meet the diversity quotas: race, sex, gender, etc.

Birkel said...

Cancel ALL the things.

Birkel said...

They could have the world championships of disc golf on ESPN. Play in groups of two. Carry your own bag. Carry your own refreshment. All outdoors. No crowds. But they won't.

jimbino said...

@Josephbleau

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Der Gemütlichkeit.

as I remember it runs:


Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Zur Gemütlichkeit!
Ein Prosit, ein Prosit
Zur Gemütlichkeit!

Mark said...

"Guns and ammunition, of course, are non essential. I mean it's not like bearing arms is protected under the Constitution like abortion or anything."

Specifically allowed under Wisconsin rule put in by Evers

Lurker21 said...

Also banned: streaking, head shops, disco, platform shoes, bellbottoms, afro picks, pet rocks, Lord of the Rings, and leisure suits. History is being erased, people!

Lurker21 said...

Quiddich is still allowed, though, so long as the broomsticks don't touch.

stlcdr said...

If you shut down liquor stores, you’ll find out how essential they actually are.

Tom said...

A frisbee is a plastic surface. CoVID 19 can live on plastic for several days. Passing a frisbee to each other is a potential way to spread virus.

stevew said...

"A mask really enhances a poker face."

Not with my eyes. I'm terrible at poker face and, thus, poker.

Lurker21 said...

No mention of hacky sack?

World championship still on?

exhelodrvr1 said...

Forget who it was who said it would take months for car manufacturers to be able to build ventilators. Appears that Trump was right again.

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a31917145/ford-respirators-coronavirus-covid-19/

Johnathan Birks said...

I'm surprised Wisconsin isn't on the list of Stuff White People Like.

Hamlet's Fool said...

Remember when the government shut down and they paid people to put barriers around monuments in DC to prevent people from walking around and viewing them? Cones on the highways to prevent people from pulling over to look at Mount Rushmore?

Practice for just this type of crisis.

Curious George said...

"exhelodrvr1 said...
Forget who it was who said it would take months for car manufacturers to be able to build ventilators. Appears that Trump was right again."

From your link:
Ford has already started delivering face shields, and we look forward to hearing more progress on the respirator front as they work with 3M to complete the design and ramp up production.

They're still in the design phase so hold your horses.

SteveM said...

Here in Bergen County, NJ (a Coronavirus hot spotin NJ), we can still play golf but can’t take the flag ⛳️ out of the hole, presumably because it would become a commonly touched surface.

exhelodrvr1 said...

"They're still in the design phase so hold your horses."

It is obviously a "weeks" timeline rather than a "months" timeline.

Lurker21 said...

It is important to know that when you hear a white person saying “we should do some ultimate this weekend” or “I’m so pumped for ultimate,” they are talking about a sport and not an “ultimate solution”-type race war.

Some times it can be hard to tell.

tcrosse said...

Thanks for reminding me what a work of genius "Stuff White People Like" is.

mtrobertslaw said...

The MVP on a frisbee team is always the guy who can run routes to take a advantage of the frisbee's nature to curve in and curve out.

s'opihjerdt said...

I'm sure that they dropped the f word from the name because it is a trademark of
Wham-O.

Black Bellamy said...

Here let me cough on this plastic disc and throw it. Any further discussion on why it's banned necessary?

Unknown said...

By virtue of being banned as a sport it is now officially, legally recognized as a sport! I smell a nerd conspiracy.

walter said...

Blogger Lurker21 said...No mention of hacky sack?
--
I can't imagine Jerry Nadler plays Ultimate Frisbee.

n.n said...

Diversity breeds adversity. Don't indulge color judgments.

Bunkypotatohead said...

You can still take a dump on the streets of San Francisco.
Maybe the bums can make a sport out of it.

Quaestor said...

Madisonians don't even know what Ultimate Frisbee is. But, I'll give you a hint:

Ultimate Frisbee is played with Skilsaw blades. In the professional division, the blades are made of plutonium.

Lurker21 said...

... and in revenge, Minnesota is making Ultimate Frisbee compulsory ...

Lurker21 said...

Is everything illegal in Wisconsin?

Waukesha, Wisconsin police called on senior citizens playing pickle ball during coronavirus lockdown.

What is this "pickle ball"?