November 18, 2025
By Evan Lepler
Can you believe it was just one week ago when I wrote that the frisbee offseason can feel somewhat slow?
My goodness, talk about bad timing.
After last week’s Toss was published, the DC Breeze announced that Head Coach Lauren Boyle would not return in 2026. A couple days later, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh also shared that they would have new coaches next year too. (The Phoenix have already announced their new leader. And last month, the Indianapolis AlleyCats also announced their new Head Coach.)
Beyond these newsworthy nuggets, though, there was an even bigger story. For the first time since the very beginning of professional ultimate frisbee, a season will unfold next year without the Detroit Mechanix and Los Angeles Aviators. And even though one of those franchises has often been a punchline on the bad end of tough losses, Detroit is also truly one of the pioneers of professional ultimate frisbee, an organization that will be remembered forever.
Naturally, you’re probably thinking that Detroit will just be thought of as the biggest losers in UFA history. Of course, that’s a significant part of the story, since they went just 3-97 over their last eight seasons.
But I was taken aback by Commissioner Tim DeByl’s quote, when he stated that professional ultimate probably wouldn’t exist today if not for the Mechanix and their quirky, oft misunderstood owner, Brent Steepe.
Graciously, DeByl was willing to elaborate.
“In 2010, Josh Moore and Brent Steepe met, and Brent bought the first franchise and helped sell the franchises and was generally working as the other partner to Josh Moore,” explained DeByl. “Josh Moore was the initial Commissioner and CEO of the league, but basically Brent was working in lockstep with him to create that league. He wasn’t someone who just bought a team in 2012; he was the initial person that worked with Josh. He was the first franchise owner, and this was 2010. In a lot of ways, he’s one of the founders. That’s why the first championship game was in Detroit [at a former NFL stadium], because he helped organize everything [...] Josh Moore would’ve never gotten anything going if it wasn’t for Brent.”
While Moore only remained the Commissioner and CEO for one tumultuous season, Steepe’s place in the league seemed eternal. And even though he has decided to end the Mechanix’s journey in the UFA, he will forever be an interesting character in the story. Resiliently, he withstood all the quips, barbs, snickers, and laughs, and just kept on grinding, helping to develop many players that have gone on to extremely productive frisbee careers.
“My heart is full of gratitude,” said Steepe in last Wednesday’s release. “To the fans who believed in the vision, the owners who invested their hearts and resources, and the management teams who turned ideas into action — thank you. Since 2010, this league has been more than a collection of teams; it’s been a family of dreamers and doers. I’m proud to have been part of building this foundation and even prouder to see where it will go next.”
Eric Hubbard, who scored 141 goals and registered 77 blocks across five seasons for the Mechanix from 2013-17, is still the all-time leading scorer and block-hunter in Detroit history. Joe Cubitt holds the distinction of topping the team’s all-time assists and games played chart, with 165 dimes in 58 appearances in his five seasons.
Steepe also insists that the Mechanix will continue to exist even if they aren’t an active franchise that’s competing in the UFA. He firmly believes that the team’s ultimate story is far from over.
“I know it sounds like we’re done, but the reality is we simply just left the league,” Steepe said. “The Mechanix will still be going strong, and our next chapter is around the corner.”
From the UFA perspective, DeByl has emphasized that strong ownership groups, rather than just a single person serving as an owner and running the show, is the key to the future of the league’s success.
“The more capital and human capital you put into ownership groups, the stronger they’re gonna be,” he explained. “When you ask what’s the predictor of a good team, it starts with a strong ownership group and a good stadium. A good ownership to me means being able to find players, able to find a coach, able to stream, able to bring fans in, do marketing, put on a gameday—those are all characteristics of a good ownership group.”
Furthermore, while the league’s main office will continue to organize top-level initiatives, DeByl firmly believes that the future of the UFA will flourish due to the franchises that are putting more and more into it.
“Strong teams are what’s gonna grow the league over the next 10-20 years,” said DeByl. “It’s not the league itself. The league is gonna try to get media deals and do PR, but you can see the rise of Salt Lake and Minnesota, that’s what we’re looking for, teams that have great, really strong fan bases.”
Over the past couple years, UFA franchises have added 10 new owners, with teams like Atlanta, Austin, Colorado, Minnesota, and Toronto adding new energy and capital to help their organizations grow. With revenue rising annually, franchise valuations have also continued to increase.
Meanwhile, the Mechanix were not the only franchise to officially step away from the UFA last week. The Los Angeles Aviators have also suspended operations after a strong decade competing at the highest level.
Whereas the Mechanix went 18-144 in their 13 seasons, the Aviators went 68-68, a .500 journey that included five playoff appearances and one trip to Championship Weekend in their 10-year existence.
Seeing LA leave also hit close to home considering I had the privilege to broadcast 18 of their games, the last of which came in the 2023 West Division final against Salt Lake. That capped a thrilling run of three straight unforgettable Aviators games in a row, from their improbable buzzer-beater against the Spiders in Santa Barbara to keep their playoff hopes alive, to their masterful, highlight-laden performance in winning a playoff game at Colorado.
The Aviators always had one of the top mascots in the league—Long live, Ace the Aviator!—and a fiery team that usually worked together to become greater than the sum of its parts.
While I will not miss Los Angeles traffic en route to Aviators’ home games, I will definitely miss traveling to LA and experiencing the Aviators’ collective spirit, personified by players like Mitchell Steiner, Sean McDougall, and Michael Kiyoi, who are the only three people who’ve played at least 100 games in team history. McDougall, to his credit, finishes as the franchise’s all-time leader in goals (299), assists (219), and blocks (134).
The 35-year-old posted an emotional message on Facebook after the news broke that the Aviators would no longer be in the league.
“It ends,” wrote McDougall. “I am truly grateful for the chance to grow as both an athlete and a person, and owe a large portion of who I am today from the experiences I gained playing in this league. Words do not do justice to the amount of time, effort, and money that the owners, the volunteers, and the staff put in to try to run a professional team, and I have been fortunate enough to call many of them friends along this adventure. I will always cherish the memories, the adversity, the pain, and the joy that playing for the Los Angeles Aviators was, and I will fondly remember all the crazy antics that we got to be a part of.”
When the newly refined 22-team UFA begins the 2026 season next April, there will certainly be a slightly different feel. The likely divisional structure, for instance, will now feature two divisions with six teams and two others with five. But there’s also reason to believe that the competitive level will be even higher. It feels inevitable that some former Mechanix and Aviators’ stars will scatter for opportunities, bolstering the depth of other teams. Overall, the competitive floor will rise, and the top contenders will have fewer gimme games.
“We want to see competitive games across the board,” said DeByl. “Anytime that gap closes, it’s good for the league. I think the gap closed a lot this offseason.”
As the great Bob Dylan once sang, “And the first one now will later be last, for the times they are a-changin’.”
League PSA: If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a UFA owner, contact Tim DeByl at tim@WatchUFA.com.
