|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| 01-JAN-1980 | |
|
|
In the picture above, two observers (in orange shirts) are discussing a call on the field. As can be seen, play has stopped, and the two teams are awaiting the observers' ruling. But what is an observer? Ultimate is a self-refereed sport. As the rules (the UPA 10th edition) are written, players make all calls, including fouls, stalls, and other violations. This works fairly well in most cases, but especially in competitive situations a neutral third party can help resolve conflicts between the involved parties. Per spirit of the game conventions, players are required to be as honest as possible about communicating their understanding of any situation that leads to a call. How things are supposed to work: The wronged party almost always makes the call (of foul, travel, etc.), the player in violation of the rules will either agree or disagree, and play continues with the agreed upon results of the discussion that ensues. The player that the violation was called on, in most circumstances, can disagree and "contest the call", in which case play reverts to the prior situation on the field (in many cases, a neutral resolution, but this often works out in favour of the offense). There is an assumption underlying the contesting of a call that both players are in good faith, and that there is some ambiguity in the situation (since they have differing perspectives on what happened). How things really work: Sometimes calls will simply be incorrect, both through the fault of the player involved, and because they don't have all the information (like a cone to cone perspective on in or out of bounds situations). Sometimes, players will not agree, and one of the players involved will be very certain that they are right. An argument (not a debate) will occur, and at least one player, if not both, will think that they have been wronged. In contested situations, there will often actually be a factually accurate resolution of the call, but this might not be the resolution agreed to by the parties according to their rules provided rights. What are Observers? Observers are neutral third parties who can step in to resolve a call one way or another. They can be entirely passive, and off of the field which means that they will only provide their opinion if the on-field players request it, or they can be more active, and can call in or out of bounds and in or out of the endzone according to their own determination and without player request. Passive observing helps provide quick and more accurate resolutions to on field disagreements. Observers can be ignored until particularly contentious situations arise, and some observed games will see no calls going to the observers. When observers are being used, it is the right of any player involved in the call or act of a violation to request the opinion of the observer, but regular etiquette requires that the player first attempt to resolve the conflict in discussion with the opposing player. Unlike other sports, observers can decide to not make a call when asked to. Their opinion becomes law only when they are certain of what resolution is the more accurate one. Active observation (in and out calls, etc.) can help allow the players to focus more attention on playing, and less on making calls. As is currently played, active observing does not include making anything beyond in or out calls on their own. All fouls, travelling, fast counts, etc. are still called by on field players, which is why observers are called observers, and not referees. Both types of observing should make a game move along more quickly, and in cases where one team is taking advantage of the make your own call system, observers can even out the field. There can be anywhere from one to four observers for a game, and those observers can either be on the field, or off of the field, usually according to what the teams agree upon prior to the game.
|