There’s a new sport on the Evanston lakefront.
You’ve probably played it in a more informal way … tossing a plastic disc on the beach, trying to catch the spinning and flying object before it hits the ground, or is snatched out of the air by an overly-enthusiastic dog.
Yes, this is frisbee. But it’s Ultimate Frisbee … and professional Frisbee at that … the Chicago Union, of the 24-team Ultimate Frisbee Association (four divisions of six teams each, from Boston to Los Angeles and a lot of places in between).
The game begins with what’s called a “pull,” the Frisbee equivalent of a kickoff or jump ball.
Once underway, the action never stops (except for period breaks).
“You’re constantly in motion,” says team minority owner Ben Rodman.
“Even if you’re not that athletic, you’re not stuck in right field. You’re always moving.”
Of course, professional Frisbee players are that athletic.
“I started throwing around 2008, when I was 13,” says Union member Jack Shanahan, 29, one of the squad’s four captains.
Pro Frisbee is a combination of football, soccer, lacrosse, and hockey (minus the ice, of course).
Using a football analogy, Shanahan explains that in Frisbee, the “handlers” are like quarterbacks, and the “cutters” are like wide receivers.
The game is played on an 80-yard field, with a couple of 20-yard end zones. Get the disc into the end zone and you score.
There are four twelve-minute quarters, seven players per team.
“You can’t score on your own,” Rodman explains. No running with the Frisbee. You catch it, and toss it. And there are set plays.
“You need someone to throw you the disc. It’s a real team sport.”
If the Frisbee is intercepted, the defensive team immediately switches to offense.
Jack Rubin-Miller, a star defenseman on the Union, is like most other pro Frisbee players. He started as a kid, then played in high school, and in college as well (some colleges do have Frisbee teams, although they are club sports, not in the NCAA).
“This is a really cool game,” Rubin-Miller, 24, explains.
“From an athletic sports standpoint, it’s very competitive. You have to be fast and have great endurance.”
Rubin-Miller is also youth director for the team’s Chicago Union Cares charity, which offers clinics, tutoring and an effort “to expand the game, in the city and the suburbs,” attracting girls as well as boys.
While the Union is a pro team, no one is getting rich quick … or even slowly.
“Most players have other jobs,” says the team owner.
“That’s why we play on Friday and Saturday nights.”
The home games are at Martin Stadium, where Northwestern lacrosse and soccer squads also play. The football Wildcats will also be there for the next two seasons, while the new Ryan Field is being built.
Founded in 2013, the Union used to play in the City of Chicago, at a high school stadium.
The move to Evanston has more than tripled attendance, with more than 900 fans on hand for the first home game a few weeks ago.
“The community has really embraced the team,” says Rodman.
Rodman purchased half-interest in the team last year.
“I was a lifetime investment banker,” he says.
“I went to my first game last season and was blown away by the fast action and high scoring.”
The season only lasts 12 games, but there are also playoffs.
Tickets are a mere 15 bucks.
And this year, it is officially Ultimate Frisbee. In previous years, the game was just called “Ultimate Disc,” because Frisbee is a licensed name by the product’s manufacturer.
But now, the league has worked out a deal, allowing use of the Frisbee name.
And that’s proof for sure that this game has arrived … Ultimate proof, in fact.
The next home game is May 31, with two road games this weekend in Texas. Going into that trip, the team was 1-1.
More information about schedules, tickets, live-streaming of games and community programs is available online.