The Breakside's Guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics
The Breakside's Guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics
Specially crafted for players and fans of ultimate
Ultimate and the Olympics
I get it again for the first time in a long time. When I was younger, I used to dream about playing Ultimate in the Olympics, specifically in 2028, at home here in the U.S. I even remember one of my teammates laughing at me for that idea, too, when I must have been a sophomore in high school. But in the years since I’ve come to the conclusion that we’re not ready, that we have too much to take care of in our own house to dream of making it to a stage that big.
However, I do think it’s indisputable that people would gravitate to the sport if it were on TV in the Olympics. The support and pride I feel for our athletes achieving their dreams, even in a sport I haven’t even thought of for four years between the Olympics, is a feeling that cannot be replicated. It’s the height of sports romanticism. Seeing people online rally around our women’s rugby team or men’s gymnastics team reminds me of the sacrifices that so many people in this community make to be great and how the stories from our community would resonate with a wider audience.
But this is why I think it’s more important than ever to take care of our own house first before we allow ourselves to dream this big. I truly believe that ultimate will get its moment in the Olympics. Likely in our lifetime. This is why we should put our energy towards making sure that we’re ready for that moment. Building up the media infrastructure in the sport, standardizing rules and their enforcement across more levels of play, and providing more access for people to enter the sport at all levels.
I worry sometimes because the line between self and community advocacy often feels blurred due to how small the ultimate community is. I would love for us to foster a deeper sense of patience and paying things forward within ultimate. We only have the level of access to the sport we have now because people have worked so hard to grow the game. Ultimate in the Olympics may not happen for us or our generation of players. Let’s be okay with that. Let’s shift our focus to making sure that we’re ready for our moment, and building up a global community, not just a national one, that demands a spot.
Which Olympic Team Sport Should You Watch
If you’re anything like me, you’re completely unable to separate ultimate from your sports viewing. Okay, maybe you’re not like me. But, with so many team sports to choose from, which ones are best for the ultimate fan in your life? Here’s your guide to watching Olympic team sports from an ultimate point of view (based on some of the sports I’ve watched; sorry if your favorite isn’t included). Whether you’re trying to find what would be the most fun for you, imagine what ultimate in the Olympics would feel like, or get someone new into the sport, I’ve got you covered.
Basketball - Do you like international ultimate? Were you just watching U20 Worlds? Do you like Avengers movies? If so, you can see our best and brightest curb stomp the rest of the world in a game we play more than anyone else, with the slight chance of national embarrassment if we lose.
Handball - Honestly, handball is the perfect sport to show someone you want to bring into the community for ultimate. Like ultimate, it is familiar, yet strange at the same time. There are weird rules about not being able to run much with the ball, and there’s a big geographical bias in who tends to play it. The U.S. is just on the opposite side of that bias in handball as it is with ultimate.
Rugby - D3 ultimate fans, this one is for you. Freakish and violent displays of athleticism that make you tribally proud of your team abound, and the team that is more violent is the winner. But did you know they’re allowed and encouraged to do that in this sport?
Mixed Table Tennis - One of the mixed sports that seems to capture the magic of the mixed division of ultimate. It’s all about blending different skills and styles from different divisions (quickness and reaction time in the women’s game, power and spin in the men’s game, as I learned from an excellent broadcaster!) and using your strengths as a team to your advantage. Also, one country dominates the sport as a whole but couldn’t win gold last Olympics, and it has a huge deal.
Soccer - This one is for the college ultimate fans out there. Soccer, like college ultimate, contains the perfect conditions to see something supremely skilled and athletic followed up by the most moronic decision or botched execution in your entire life. It’s like if conservation of greatness was an entire sport. Unmatched drama and stakes, and the ability for literally anything to happen. Not to mention that the men’s tournament being U23 with three age exceptions is really giving college team with a few players staying through their PHD completion.
Water Polo - Water polo is also very much for the college fans, but in a different way than soccer. It’s brutally physical, can feel comically contrived as a sport at times, I feel like (anecdotally, at least) is known for having some nasty beefs, and full of people dedicating their lives to becoming great a sport that 99% of the population has never played and will never play.
About The Breakside
If you enjoyed my writing, please consider leaving a like or comment, subscribing, or sharing it with a friend.
This newsletter aims to tackle the gap in present coverage of ultimate as a sport. Commentary, analysis, and community are some of the guiding ideals behind the Breakside.
About the Author
My name is Noam Gumerman (he/him). I am from Chapel Hill, NC, and studied Journalism and American Studies at Brandeis University. I am a journalist by trade and have been playing ultimate for over half my life. I love nothing more than combining those two interests. Contact me for discussions, feedback, story suggestions, and more on Twitter (@noamgum) or email (noamgumerman@gmail.com).