Sometimes I like to flip through my mental photo album, and think back on the old days. The days before the famous floppy disc, the revolutionary post-it note and the life-sucking cell-phone, back to that parking lot in New Jersey where the game of ultimate took its first steps. We’ve turned the page on many chapters in ultimate history, notably, parking lots (except in dire consequences), Wham-O frisbees and tie-dyed cotton longsleeves.

I think it’s safe to say that in both ultimate and file storage, we’ve come a long way.

Not without the occasional speedbump, however. In the vast and celebrated history of ultimate, the introduction of male professional leagues was a controversial snapshot in the timeline of ultimate history.

While some professional teams are turning the page on their fourth year, the controversy in the community is still being shaken like a polaroid picture. One of the hottest topics in the ultimate community now is gender equity and the current unequal growth of the sport at its highest level.

Despite arguments for increased visibility and financial investment benefitting everyone who plays, the question keeps cropping up:

Can these exclusively male professional leagues contribute to a better sport? Or just a bigger one?

Saying that male professional leagues are raising the level of visibility for all players, is about as easy as claiming that Seaworld is doing a service to the killer whale species. Half of the people weighing in on the matter are not actually okay with the situation.

Which teams are committed to bringing players of every gender and background into the spotlight with them?

Well, we looked into it. Of the 26 teams in the AUDL, only TWO explicitly mention equity in their missions. The Raleigh Flyers and the Seattle Cascades.

The Flyers’ mission is to connect players of all backgrounds to the sport. The team even signed Jessi Jones, a player for Phoenix, an elite women’s club team, for a single game, as part of programming to recognize female players.

The Washington franchise has proven to be more vocal on the subject though, citing their belief in the equal value of male and female players in their mission statement, requiring a gender and officiation workshop for athletes and employees, and producing promotional content directly dealing with the subject of gender inequity.