Spirit of the Game is one of the most important aspects of Ultimate and is arguably what sets our sport apart from almost every other one.

In short, Spirit of the Game encourages respect for one's teammates and opponents, a spirit of cooperation, conflict resolution by the players on the field, and shared joy in the play of the game.

In many ways, this can paradoxically be the hardest aspect of Ultimate to learn for a new player, especially one who has come from a sport with officials or a culture of "you're only guilty if you're caught."

However, it is worth stressing from the beginning, and it is one of the big selling points to people new to the sport (schools, parents, etc.).

The full language of the rule (from the 10th edition of the UPA rules) is printed below:

"Ultimate has traditionally relied upon a spirit of sportsmanship which places the responsibility for fair play on the player.  Highly competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players, adherence to the agreed-upon rules of the game, or the basic joy of play. 

Protection of these vital elements serves to eliminate adverse conduct from the Ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposing players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling, or other 'win at all costs' behavior are contrary to the spirit of the game and must be avoided by all players."