If you enjoy playing ultimate as a competitive sport, you know all too well how ignorant people who don't play can be. I specifically remember this boy from my high school who made it his life goal to explain to everyone how much of a "joke" our ultimate team was. It's okay though. I figure he knows what he's talking about when it comes to sports considering how much of his basketball career he spent on the bench observing his teammates playing. Good work!

But seriously, ultimate is one of the greatest sports out there, despite how unknown it is in the sports community. If you ever come across someone who takes it way too seriously, here's a list of things you should never say to an ultimate junkie.

• “Ultimate isn’t a real sport.”

So… It’s a fake sport? I understand that there are some activities that are debatable on this topic—such as cheer leading, dancing, etc.—but I can assure you that ultimate isn’t one. There is offense and defense, multiple positions, different plays to be memorized, an object that is being passed down a field, and an end zone to score in. Don’t mistake it’s lack of popularity for a lack sport-like qualities.

Fun fact: Ultimate Frisbee was recognized by the U.S. Olympic Committee as a sport before American Football was.

• “You play Frisbee? That’s so funny!”

Wait… Funny? My competitive sport that practices regularly, travels for tournaments, and has a full blown professional league is… Funny? Glad I could entertain.

• “I play ultimate too. . . at camp with my friends.”

Allow me to explain this one. It’s not the fact that you had a fun experience playing ultimate once or twice that makes us cringe. I’m all for spreading the love. It’s the fact that you think this basically means you are equivalent to an experienced player that grinds our gears. No offense, but it’s kind of offensive.

• “Don’t you guys smoke a lot of weed?”

Okay, I admit that this stereotype is pretty valid for a lot of players. But hey, some of us just enjoy throwing discs!

• The word “Frisbee”.

Educational moment. The word “Frisbee” is actually a specific product name for the discs made by Wham-O. Actual Frisbee’s are highly frowned upon in the ultimate community because, frankly, they suck. This is why competitive players will refer to the sport exclusively as “ultimate” instead of “ultimate Frisbee” and will never use the F-word to refer to the discs we play with.

• “That’s the one where you throw it into the basket, right?”

No. I can see that you’re trying, and I appreciate it, but no. You’re thinking of Disc Golf, which is its own full blown sport, but completely separate from ultimate. The only thing the two sports share is the usage of discs and the tendency for people who don’t play it to severely misunderstand it.

• “Oh, everyone does that in college.”

It’s the way they say it... as if ultimate is the college equivalent to that regrettable middle school phase we all went through and they feel the need to comfort us through this hard time. It’s like a condescending “there there, young one, this too shall pass”. Hey! Of all the crazy things kids do in college, I think I’ll stick to a sport that promotes good spirit and team work rather than frat parties and getting “drunk” off of two shots of fireball (not sure if they’re lightweights or fakers).

• “Wait, you actually practice for that?”

I just… I have no words.

• “Ultimate Frisbee players are all nerdy.”

The thing is, I wholeheartedly agree, and I am nothing less than flattered. It’s just that… you say this as if it’s a bad thing…

• “Ultimate is easy.”

Fun? Sure. Beginner friendly? Of course. Easy? Not exactly.

You see, the object of the game is very simple to explain to newcomers who have no idea what they’re doing. But I can guarantee that the “easy” version of ultimate you learned was the dumbed-down and simplistic version you played in PE or church camp. Truth is, if you think the sport is easy, you probably haven’t even scratched the surface on real competitive ultimate. Knowing how to throw a disc certainly doesn't mean you understand the strategy and complex rules of the game.

• “Layout!”

I assume if you’ve read this far it’s either because you play ultimate, or you’re my mom (hi, mom). But if you do play this amazing sport, I am certain that you’ve heard this one way too many times, and no further explanation is needed.

So, next time you come across a wild ultimate player in their natural habitat, make sure to handle with care and never feed them after midnight. Also, please enjoy this photo of my amazing team, just in case you needed proof that we're all nerds.