Major League Ultimate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Major League Ultimate

Sport	Ultimate
Founded	2012
Inaugural season	2013
Ceased	2016
No. of teams	8
Country	United States (7 teams) Canada (1 team)
Continent	North America
Last champion(s)	Philadelphia Spinners (1st title)
Most titles	Boston Whitecaps (2)
Official website	MLUltimate.com

Major League Ultimate (MLU) was a semi-professional sports league in North America. It featured the sport of Ultimate, which is played with a flying disc, often called a Frisbee. The league ran from 2013 to 2016.

The MLU had eight teams. Seven of these teams were located in the United States, and one team was in Canada. The league was created in 2012 and started its first season in April 2013. Each season ended with exciting championship games.

How MLU Games Were Played

The MLU used most of the normal rules for Ultimate. However, they made some changes to make the games more exciting.

Unique Rules in MLU

MLU games were played on fields that were a bit larger than usual. Also, unlike typical Ultimate, players were allowed to "double-team" an offensive player. This means two defenders could guard one attacker at the same time.

Another big difference was that the MLU used referees to make calls during the game. In most Ultimate games, players make their own calls based on fair play. Over time, the MLU added even more rule changes.

The Innova Pulsar Disc

While most Ultimate games use a disc called the Ultrastar, the MLU used a slightly different disc. This disc was called the Innova Pulsar. Its special design helped it stay in the air longer. This led to more "hucks" (long throws), "deep games" (plays where the disc travels far), and "skys" (when a player jumps high to catch the disc).

Player Pay in MLU

One early rule was that all players were paid the same amount: $25 for each game. This was a unique idea, but it caused some players, like Beau Kittredge, to leave the league.

How Teams Competed

The eight teams in the MLU were divided into two groups, called conferences. These were the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference.

During the regular season, each team played 10 matches. Sometimes, teams from different conferences would play each other. The two best teams from each conference then moved on to a conference final game. The winners of these conference finals would then play in the big MLU Championship match.

MLU on TV and Online

The MLU gained some national attention through media coverage.

TV Highlights

Highlights from the 2013 championship game were shown on Fox Sports 1. This was part of a sports show hosted by former NFL player Dhani Jones and Olympic gold medalist Jonny Moseley. ESPN also featured exciting clips from the MLU on shows like SportsCenter Top 10 and SportsNation.

Online Streaming

In its final year, 2016, all MLU games were streamed live online. Fans could watch the games on YouTube and through the MLU's own website.

Team Uniform Sponsors

Different companies sponsored the team uniforms each year.

• In 2013, Five Ultimate was the official company that made uniforms for all eight teams.
• For the 2014 season, Puma became the official sponsor for the jerseys.
• In 2015 and 2016, Canterbury was the official jersey sponsor.

MLU Teams

Here are the teams that played in Major League Ultimate:

Championship Winners

The table below shows the winners of the Major League Ultimate Championship games each year.