Why Smart Guys Play Frisbee

Dr. Michael J. Norden, a University of Washington professor of psychiatry, found a correlation between playing ultimate frisbee and success in university. He explains:

  • Students not known for athletic prowess “can show up at college having never played” and be good at it by year’s end.
  • The game calls for “spatial aptitude” (“to ‘read’ the projected path of the disc”) and “quick, accurate decision-making” (“a new play must be improvised every 10 seconds”).
  • “It is readily compatible with a heavy academic load.”