Team Canada vs Team Japan Retrospective
Sometimes, you can’t even explain what you just did, because there is no good explanation. When the moment passes, you can only apologize to the person you’ve wronged. It is worth saying again: we are sorry, Team Japan.
After reflecting on our game against Japan at length, we determined there was something we needed to change about ourselves as a team and as individuals. This is what we decided.
The Spirit of the Game in ultimate is often quickly and casually distilled as being alike to simple “sportsmanship.” We would like to imagine that would mean that good Spirit is as simple as avoidance of cheating and a respectful decorum. In practice, in a game that is entirely self-officiated, it encompasses far more, because we are put in the chronic position of having to judge each other.
The Spirit of the Game is a compact between teams — not just to know and play by certain rules, but to observe mutually acceptable tolerances on an incredible variety of subjective infractions such as travels and fouls. It hinges on our entirely unreliable perceptions of each others’ actions, language, and body language. Further to that, at no time on the field (or even on video replay) do we as players possess the omniscience to know precisely what unfolded, how it was intended, or what each other is thinking. There is always missing information or context, and it is a very human habit to try to fill those gaps with our projections. Our reactions then depend on our expectations of each other, the things we do, the things we expect to have done to us, and a range of behaviours that two opponents may accept — or may not. Sometimes, there are no incidents, opponents understand each other perfectly, and Spirit is easy. When there are complications, Spirit of the Game can be one of the most difficult requirements in sport. Recently, we experienced a perfect example.
At WUGC2012, Team Canada Open and Team Japan Open met in power pool play. It was expected to be an exciting, closely matched game. Both teams possessed a strong respect for each other, and some players are old friends. It is not common knowledge, but one of Team Canada’s cheers is in fact a homage to a legendary spirit-prize-giving ceremony that Japanese players performed for Canadians in 2010. In the end, it was a close game, but Japan played better and they won, as they deserved to, and for that they are to be congratulated. The story of the game that propagated, though, was of the regrettable sportsmanship therein — in particular, the story of our own wrongdoing. The objective of this letter is not to rehash the infractions or infraction calls seen that day; ultimately, it would not be productive. There is one valuable lesson we learned that day above all others, though, and that is the theme of this post.
One of the most demanding requirements of Spirit of the Game is the governance of your own perceptions of the game. In three words, it is the “benefit of doubt.” This idiom most succinctly captures the most important
skill we must exercise when judging play and conflicts on the field. Conflicts are inevitable. Disagreements and misunderstanding are inevitable; even bad calls are inevitable. We must accept that inevitability and
embrace it. We must put aside appearances and our righteous anger, and accept that accidents, disagreements, conflicts of perspective, and even egregious infractions will exist. And even when we are certain we have been wronged — even then — we have to try to tell ourselves that good people sometimes make terrible mistakes, and move on. It is the only way to diffuse an escalating confrontation. We owe each other that seed of doubt, that mutual respect and trust.
Our mistake in our game against Japan is that at some point, we allowed ourselves to believe that our opponents were trying to do us wrong. When the temptation presented itself, we indulged it. We revoked the benefit of the doubt. In the face of conflict, we escalated. Our players became visibly agitated, emotional and reactionary. Both teams escalated in their own way, but in the end, we made some terrible decisions. It was not the game we wanted to play. Sometimes this happens, but it is an extra shame that it had to happen on this stage.
For offences we committed, we apologized to Team Japan in our spirit huddle. We recognize our fault. And since that game, the leaders of TC-Open and TJ-Open have stayed in communication to make amends, to discuss our frustrations, to help decide what we expect and accept from each other; in short, to find ways to avoid such situations between us again. It is a process. We have to do this because maintaining Spirit of the Game requires the taking of responsibility for your actions; it also means burying the hatchet, putting the past behind us, and trying to be better in every possible way.
Footage of the game in question is accessible free of charge, which is suitable, because it is not much fun to watch. It is not a good game. We see ineffective communication, knee-jerk reactions, players becoming visibly agitated, and in a few particularly distasteful moments, Team Canada commits a string of irrational fouls. Please watch it and try to learn from our mistakes. If you do, you will be able to judge various calls and infractions for yourself. In doing so, all I ask is that you remember what Team Canada forgot — the benefit of the doubt.
Rétrospective du match Équipe Canada contre Équipe Japon
Parfois, vous ne pouvez même pas expliquer ce que vous venez de faire, parce qu’il n’y a pas de justification possible. Une fois l’incident passé, la seule chose que vous pouvez faire, c’est de vous excuser auprès de la personne à qui vous avez causé du tort. Il est important que nous le répétions : nous sommes désolés, Équipe Japon.
Après avoir réfléchi sur notre l’ensemble de notre match contre le Japon, nous avons déterminé qu’il y a quelque chose que nous devons changer en tant qu’équipe. Voici ce que nous avons décidé.
L’Esprit du jeu à l’ultimate est souvent et rapidement relégué au rang de simple «esprit sportif ». Nous aimerions imaginer qu’un bon Esprit du jeu est aussi simple que d’éviter la tricherie et d’obéir à un décorum respectueux. En réalité, dans un sport qui est entièrement auto-arbitré, ce concept englobe beaucoup plus, parce que nous devons constamment juger des comportements des uns et des autres.
L’Esprit du jeu est un pacte entre les équipes – pas seulement celui de connaitre et de jouer en respectant les règles, mais aussi un pacte qui vise à maintenir un niveau de tolérance acceptable face à une variété incroyable d’infractions subjectives, tels que les « marcher » et les fautes. Ce pacte repose entièrement sur nos perceptions peu fiables des actions, du langage verbal et non verbal des autres joueurs. Ceci étant dit, en aucun moment sur le terrain (ou même grâce à la reprise vidéo) nous, les joueurs, possédons l’omniscience de savoir précisément ce que s’est déroulé, de connaître les motifs de ces actions, ou de savoir ce que chacun d’entre nous pensait. Il y a toujours des informations manquantes au contexte, et il s’agit d’une habitude très humaine de vouloir essayer de combler ces lacunes avec nos projections. Nos réactions dépendent alors de nos attentes envers les uns et les autres, de nos actions, des choses que nous attendons qui soient faites à notre égard, et d’une gamme de comportements que les deux adversaires peuvent accepter – ou non. Parfois, il n’y a pas d’incidents, les opposants se comprennent parfaitement, et l’Esprit du jeu est facilement applicable. Cependant, quand il y a des complications, l’Esprit du jeu peut être l’une des exigences les plus difficiles de notre sport. Récemment, nous en avons connu un exemple parfait. Nous vous écrivons cette lettre ouverte pour souligner cette leçon.
Aux championnats du monde 2012, l’équipe nationale masculine canadienne et l’équipe nationale masculine japonaise se sont rencontrés en partie de la ronde élite. Tous savaient que cette partie serait excitante, avec un pointage très serré. Les deux équipes possèdent un profond respect pour l’autre, et certains joueurs sont même des amis de longue date. Peu de gens le savent, mais l’une des célébration d’après partie d’Équipe Canada est en fait un hommage à une cérémonie de remise de prix « spirit » légendaire que les joueurs japonais avaient réalisé pour les canadiens en 2010. En fin de compte, ce fut un match serré, mais le Japon a mieux joué et ils ont gagné, comme ils le méritaient, et pour cela, ils doivent être félicités. Cependant, l’image qui circule présentement de cette partie est celle d’un regrettable niveau d’esprit sportif – en particulier, l’image de mauvais comportements de notre part. L’objectif de cette lettre n’est pas de ressasser les infractions ou les appels d’infraction vus et entendus ce jour-là; au bout du compte, cela ne serait pas productif. Il y a plutôt, au-delà de tout autre débat, une leçon précieuse que nous avons apprise ce jour-là, et c’est le thème de cette lettre.
Une des demandes les plus exigeantes de l’Esprit du jeu est le contrôle de nos propres perceptions face à la partie. En trois mots, nous parlons ici du «bénéfice du doute ». Ce simple concept capture la compétence la plus importante que nous devons exercer lorsqu’il s’agit de juger le jeu et les conflits sur le terrain. Les conflits sont inévitables. Les désaccords et les malentendus sont inévitables; même les mauvais appels sont inévitables. Nous devons accepter cette fatalité et l’embrasser. Nous devons mettre de côté les apparences et notre colère, et accepter que les accidents, les désaccords, les conflits de perspective et même les infractions flagrantes existeront. Et même lorsque nous sommes convaincus que nous avons été lésés – même en ces moments de colère – nous devons essayer de nous dire que de bonnes personnes font parfois des erreurs terribles, et ainsi passer à autre chose. Il s’agit du seul moyen de limiter une escalade dans la confrontation. Nous devons aux autres ce germe de doute, ce respect mutuel et cette confiance.
Notre erreur dans la partie contre le Japon, c’est qu’à un certain moment, nous nous sommes permis de croire que nos adversaires ont essayé de nous faire du mal. Lorsque la tentation s’est présentée, nous y avons succombé. Nous avons révoqué le bénéfice du doute. Lorsque confrontés à un conflit, nous avons laissé la situation dégénérer Nos joueurs sont devenus visiblement agités, émotifs et explosifs. Les deux équipes ont envenimé la situation de leur propre manière, mais à la fin, c’est nous qui avons pris des décisions terribles. Ce n’était pas la partie que nous voulions jouer. Parfois, cela arrive, mais c’est une honte supplémentaire que cela soit survenu sur la scène mondiale.
Pour les offenses que nous avons commises, nous nous sommes excusés à l’équipe du Japon dans notre caucus d’après-match. Nous reconnaissons nos fautes. Et depuis cette partie, les capitaines de TC-Open et de TJ-Open ont continué à communiquer afin de faire amende honorable, de discuter de nos frustrations, d’aider à décider ce que nous attendons et acceptons les uns des autres; bref, afin de trouver des moyens d’éviter qu’une telle situation se reproduise entre nous. C’est un début. Nous devons le faire parce que le maintien de l’Esprit du jeu exige la prise de responsabilité de nos actes, mais il exige également que nous enterrions la hache de guerre, que nous laissions le passé derrière nous, et que nous essayions d’être meilleurs de toutes les manières possibles.
Des vidéos de la partie en question sont disponibles gratuitement, ce qui est approprié, car ce n’est pas très amusant à regarder. Ce n’est pas un bon match. Nous y voyons une communication inefficace, des réactions instinctives, des joueurs qui deviennent visiblement agités, et à quelques reprises particulièrement déplaisantes, nous y voyons Équipe Canada qui commet une chaîne de fautes irrationnelles. S’il vous plaît, regardez ce vidéo et essayez d’apprendre de nos erreurs. Si vous le faites, vous serez en mesure de juger les divers appels et infractions pour vous-même. Ce faisant, tout ce que nous vous demandons, c’est que vous vous souveniez ce qu’Équipe Canada a oublié : le bénéfice du doute.
Signed,
Team Canada Open
August 10th, 2012 at 9:00 pm
Very well written. I’ve very happy that TC has addressed this.
August 10th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Excellent post, Team Canada.
August 10th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
Well put, Canada. This was a classy move. Our team discussed this game at length,,and taking responsibility for your actions made us applaud you.
August 10th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
I would have been happier with:
“Hey, there is a video out on the interwebs where we forgot to make plays on the disc and kinda just went through people. We also spiked the disc on our defender. Oh, and didn’t shake hands at the end of the game. That was kinda douchey on our part. Sorry.”
August 10th, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Excellent post… One of the problems of putting games online is that video gives a very limited perspective of the events. We, the observer, can only see what is on the screen and cannot hear or see the majority of activity on and off the field of play. So, it is very easy for us couch judges to cast a finger and lay shame and blame. The reality is that this escalation is rarely one-sided … it takes two to dance. So, we the observers, need to remember that many of us would have probably blown a gasket too if put in similar situations… your right, the only way to avoid these escalations is to give the benefit of the doubt unilaterally and early. (my guess is that Alex wrote this, am I right?)
August 10th, 2012 at 10:50 pm
I think it would serve Team Canada/Furious well to implement a coach, a change in captains, and/or appoint a player responsible for maintaining SOTG. While only a portion of the team was out of control during that game, no one on Team Canada stepped up to calm these players down, and no one was there with the authority to remove them from the game.
Unless you implement some sort of authority figure that can assume responsibility for this, a number of players on your team still have the potential to play this way again.
August 10th, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Good post but I would have appreciated conciseness but perhaps not as blunt as TSW put it.
August 10th, 2012 at 11:00 pm
Beautifully sincere and well written.
August 11th, 2012 at 12:08 am
wow. full redemption. well played, gentlemen.
August 11th, 2012 at 12:54 am
That was well said TC.
Long live FG!
August 11th, 2012 at 3:04 am
The way many of your players interact with the Japanese players makes it clear you have no respect for other players. The egregious offsides every pull and the way all calls are made instantly regardless of the truth make it clear you have no respect for the game.
It needs to begin with a culture of respect. You are THE elite team of western Canada. So many players look to you to set that precedent. I do appreciate that you posted an apology but I hope that a lot more comes of this game than this one post.
August 11th, 2012 at 5:50 am
Well written and a very good move TC!!
Ive been a fan for some years and was ashamed on which way the game went after the 8:8 but this move shows the courage that only a great team has!
August 11th, 2012 at 6:16 am
Well said TC. True apologies pair words with actions. So it’s good to hear that you are in contact with TJ, and sorting things out. I look forward to watching FG/TC compete with spirit in the future.
August 11th, 2012 at 7:38 am
Great poetic post. I do miss the solid plan to prevent stuff like this from happening in the future though. So please discuss that too. I would strongly suggest making a solid promise like:
“We will strongly try to prevent emotional outbreaks, like yelling at opponents, pushing them around after an incident, ripping discs out of their hands, spiking discs into them, etcetera. When some players do such things anyway, we as fellow team members will immediately tell them to calm down, such that the situation doesn’t escalate. In this way will we prevent situations like this from happening again.”
Because if you think about it. Most of the time the whole escalation was not because Japan was not able to communicate clearly and calmly in English, it was because Canada was not being able to communicate clearly and calmly in English.
August 11th, 2012 at 8:42 am
TSW I agree with you.
No body needs a lecture on spirit because you guys fucked up and pissed of the ENTIRE ultimate related world. I would go as far to say that the reason you guys apologized is so that you dont only wind up playin other canadian teams because no tournament head
August 11th, 2012 at 8:43 am
would accept your bids.
August 11th, 2012 at 9:07 am
The video of your play infuriated me, its embarrassing for your association. While your collective reply may be well-written I can only hope that you are proactively forwarding this across the Ulti-nets rather because this kind of apology needs to go public. You don’t just owe an apology to Team Japan, you owe it to everyone who fights for the respect of this sport and spirit of the game. Post it on each one of your FB, Twitter, and various other accounts. In my opinion its your duty to publicize your acknowledgement of the shame you’ve brought onto this sport and your apology for it – not just an apology to team Japan.
August 11th, 2012 at 9:10 am
Good post. However you will be judged on how you play in the future, not on how you apologise.
August 11th, 2012 at 11:45 am
Thank you for writing this.
August 11th, 2012 at 11:51 am
They have apologized and acknowledged their faults in this game. Lets not continue to beat them up about what has already past.
August 11th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
I’m glad to have read this. Not to preassure you guys, but the world is watching you, literally.
Saludos desde Argentina.
August 11th, 2012 at 3:41 pm
You know what they say: “Faute avouée est a moitié pardonnée”. Merci d’avoir inclus une version française.
August 11th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Agree with TSW- maybe Canada can go learn honor from Japan and learn how to write an apology that takes responsibility rather than attempts to shift blame and justify
August 11th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Weak apology but better than nothing.
August 11th, 2012 at 10:28 pm
After viewing the video, as a passionate Canadian (ultimate player)the open letter you have published is much appreciated.
Well done!
August 12th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Very well written but some of the key issues of this issue have not been addressed. For example: Ignoring that the game is a non-contact sport and diving into people with the intent to injure, not chaking hands at the end of the game, abusing a docile opposition and shoveing calls in thier faces. While it is good that you have acknowledged that you may have been wrong about your thoughts on the nature of some of the calls. I sincerly hope that every Canadian team member has had to rewatch the footage of this game, which is a disgrace to the sport of Ultimate Frisbee, and vowed to make up for this incident by being true examples of the spirit of the game from this day forward.
August 12th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Miserable conduct, hope you all die in hell
Great spirit Japan. Hope to see another of your games and confirm all this crap you have written. Yes, I’m mad
August 13th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
Just wanted to say congrats on being humble enough to realise mistakes were made and apologies were needed. I’m sure you will grow from this.
Je voulais seulement dire félicitations d’avoir été assez humble pour vous rendre compte que des erreurs ont été commises et des excuses étaient en ordre. Je suis sur que vous allez en ressortir grandis.
Go! Canada Go!
August 13th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
While you are clearly sincere in your apology and intent to make amends, the captains of the team should really consider their position given that they have to take responsibility for the unchecked dangerous play with potential to cause serious injury during the game.
Resignation from some or all of you, and a clear plan going forward on how you intend to address such behavior on the part of your players is, at least to some of us, the only way to really move forward from this.
August 13th, 2012 at 11:43 pm
Words without true action are a complete waste of time. Tackling players is a pure disgrace. If no disciplinary action is taken, then this means absolutely nothing. What a joke. Go play another sport, you’re not welcome in this one.
August 14th, 2012 at 2:22 am
A great read to this article. It is a good reference point for a lot of teams and countries that are still learning the sport, especially what SOTG is all about. Thank you for the post. I will share with my local community.
August 14th, 2012 at 5:15 am
What can I say? No one is perfect. What has been done, is done, and what is important is that you did something, rather than doing nothing. You got your number 1 Filipino fan back! hahaha
August 14th, 2012 at 10:50 am
I’ve read your apology twice. And as stated by others, we don’t need lectures about the true SOTG because you guys didn’t even show any. Why take it from you, lol.
After reading apology, I watched the entire game again and no despite knowing about your attempts to make amends, I still can’t find it easy to find your actions forgivable. Your entire conduct was complete BS.
August 14th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
Seek professional help.
August 17th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
It takes courage to write this… Spirit is too important…
August 20th, 2012 at 12:31 pm
I really like your letter as a general commetary on the challenges of a self officiated game. The topic of “benefit of the doubt” is indeed key. That being said if you can conceive yourself of baf things, its easier to think others being capable of exactly that.
Now what can be seen on the video even before the 8:8 point was imho Japan marking too closely, but Canada already displayed behavior at that point that was beyond acceptable in my book on several occations in that phase of the game.
So to me this letter is nice and all but it doesnt even come close to the shame you brought to the game. Furthermore lets not forget that Canada now has a history of horrible spirit at worlds after ending up very low in the spirit in 2008 already. And what I have heard from the master division makes this sound like less of an “ooops” but more like a “this is how we do things”.
Now I hope that with the outcry this time it is now clear that “how you do things” is not accepted in the ultimate world but it wasnt ok 4 years ago already.
August 20th, 2012 at 6:24 pm
Haven’t been keeping up with ultimate news lately, but I saw the video of your game against Japan first, then came here from youtube.
Honestly, the game was pretty good. It had iffy calls. Most horrible calls came from Canada but Japan had some iffy ones too.
During the hell point at 8-8. After a bunch of turnovers by both teams, Japan calls a travel on a deep throw but gets the D anyway. Somehow Canada tells them to throw it back because of the travel? Have you guys never played ultimate before? This is the point where Canada loses it. They become idiots on the field, the worst kind of frisbee player. Number 9 on Team Canada embarrassed your whole organization, laying out onto the achilles of a Japanese player, making light of the situation, then yelling at Team Japan for not getting a sub in quickly. Then he LAYS OUT ONTO THE BACK OF THE SUB. THEN NUMBER 8 DOES IT AS WELL. Sorry about the CAPS but I’m not sorry. You guys make me hate you. Number 8 at least apologizes. Number 9 shouldn’t be playing frisbee.
Never saw Japan layout on a Canadian player’s back attempting to foul severely. They did what they could to NOT injure your players. Can’t say the same for you. A bunch of times Team Canada went up in the faces of Japanese players (like Hibbert in the endzone), when they didn’t do anything.
I wonder what would happen if you guys had won? Spiked it on their players? There’s a difference between playing emotionally and playing like a douchebag. Not all your players are horrible people, but the good ones need to change your culture.
This apology is better than nothing, but it’s weak. You need to shit on yourselves for the lack of respect you showed Team Japan. Perhaps individual apologies are necessary like from number 8 and 9 and everyone who yelled at Team Japan. You didn’t give them the benefit of the doubt? They weren’t trying to hurt you, they tried to win questionable calls as did you. I’m sure Team Japan took it all in stride and forgave you, kudos to them. I don’t want to watch any of your games anymore and hope you guys never win 1st place with this kind of play.
August 21st, 2012 at 3:10 pm
After seeing this game I can say there are several Canadian players who should not be allowed to play for this team anymore. This game is an absolute disgrace to the sport of Ultimate. Japan likely would have won this game with something like a 14-10 rather then a 14-13 without all these ridicoulus calls.
As for the apology, it means absolutly nothing without actually putting Spirit of the Game at number one when you’re out on the field.
August 22nd, 2012 at 8:20 am
This letter is good start.
I wish we could hear something from the masters as well.
There is no video to attest about the behaviour of canadian players against France. This didn’t go as bad as the open. Still… lots of grabbing, heaps of contacts and dangerous plays, insults flying and a lot of disrespect. All this in a game Canada had absolutely no chance to loose being a much stronger squad.
When you know the women won the spirit award and the mixed behave properly you start to understand the problem doesn’t come from the country but probably from the club representing Canada.
…
and we’re still waiting for the bottle of canadian whisky you promised to give in the huddle (so are the germans and a few other teams I believe).
August 22nd, 2012 at 2:58 pm
I want to second what Cyril wrote, as what he refers to is the worst game I ever experienced.
And I hope Nomads type something like that too…
Now I sincerely hope acts will follow this official sorryness. Good luck with that!