‘When a ball dreams, it dreams it's a Frisbee’: the emergence of aesthetic appreciation within Ultimate Frisbee

The focus of this study examines the repeated references and celebration of more aesthetic elements in Ultimate Frisbee by both performers and spectators. This aspect was an emergent theme from a broader study and first became apparent when first considering how the landscape provided an aesthetic backdrop manifest in aspects such as location as well as music. An ethnographic approach was used and data was gathered through participant observation, the conducting of interviews and the examination of documentary evidence. An analytical outline proposed by Carlisle (1974) provided a clear structure within which expressive and evocative elements, intellectual beauty and dramatic aspects were identified and examined. It is posited that the raising of this 'aesthetic attention' within Ultimate allows people to reconnect with aesthetic aspects during a purposive sporting activity.