An important and interesting piece of information has been made available on the WFDF website: “History of the Spirit of the Game and Observers“. The document is must read for anyone that wants to talking about Spirit and/or Observers. It starts in 1978 when Roddick wrote:
“Highly competitive play is encouraged but never at the expense of the bond of mutual respect between players or the basic joy of play. Protection of these vital elements eliminates some behavior from the ultimate field. Such actions as taunting of opposition players, dangerous aggression, intentional fouling or other ‘win at all costs’ behavior are fouls against the Spirit of the Game and should be discouraged by all players.“
The text is an 8-page collection of chapters and paragraphs from “Ultimate–The First Four Decades” by Tony Leonardo.
Good stuff!