jhk451

I know it's already been discussed a couple months ago, but i thought it deserved another thread.

Just to start off, if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and catch a replay of the 2004 NCAA Championship game with Navy going up against Syracuse. You'll get a chance to see one of the greatest LAX players in NCAA history (Mike Powell) and you'll see what the sport is all about: hard hits, lots of scoring, and an exhibition in teamwork that rivals, if not bests, any sport.

I, myself, just got into the sport about a month ago. A couple of my friends played on my HS team, and I went to a couple of their games. I was immediately entralled by the game.

It also doesn't take long to get into it. Grab one of your friends' sticks (or go out and buy a cheap beginners sticks) and just throw and catch. It's addicting because it looks so easy, but in reality, takes some time to get used to.

While I understand the reasoning behind the argument that its not an "everyman" sport, I still disagree with the statement that it will never really catch on across the country. My HS (Harvard Westlake High School in Los Angeles, if you were curious) just recently made it an actual varsity sport this year, as did a couple other schools in the area, and the turnouts at the games are always surprising. Many kids are off to the side throwing or watching their older brothers duke it out on the field. Or just students going to support their school and buddies. That's how i got into the game. Saw it, tried it, got hooked.

This is the west coast we're talking about. From my understanding, it seems like LAX is quite widespread in the northeast. At this current pace, I would not be surprised if more and more kids started playing it and that it would be a successful sport in a decade or 2. The thing is is that neither the Major League Lacrosse nor the National League Lacrosse have enough quality players to make it exciting to watch. The NCAA kids tend to be better. In due time, this will change as more and more exciting players enter the leagues professionally and increase the overall quality of play. With the increased exposure of the sport comes increased participation in the youth population.

People might say, "Oh, it's similar to hockey and soccer, and that never caught on, so why is this any different?" Because it's fast-paced and high scoring. Add in the positives such as hard hits on defense and showboat moves that make people "ooh" and "aah" and you've got a goldmine of a sport on your hands.

Pick up a stick and throw with a buddy for a bit. You'll know what I mean. Anybody that's ever played the sport can vouch for me.

djtestudo

Basically in the area between Baltimore and upstate New York, lacrosse is life in the springtime. It's catching on slowly elsewhere around the country. I actually think that once people start seeing it, it could pass hockey in popularity. It has all the hitting and speed of hockey, plus about 10x the offense.

I'm not a huge lacrosse fan myself, but I think it should get it's due as a popular sport.

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absorbentishe

In the last 3 years, it's really starting to take off here. I've watched it for a while, but no intent on playing. Most of the HS's around here are now offering this as a club level sport, but within a couple more years, it should make it to sanctioned. I wish I would have been exposed to it when I was in HS.

Sparky

I played in high school and I love the game. Unfortunately, down here in the South lacrosse is not that popular. I play around with friends who still play every chance I get.

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Scipio

Ditto lacrosse not being big in the South. I caught a couple of games on tv last week, and it was pretty cool. It's an odd mix of soccer, basketball, and hockey. One thing I thought was kind of funny was the way they played defense; it consisted of the defender running up behind the ball handler and whacking him repeatedly with the stick. Wierd stuff.

When it comes to sports catching on, there are a couple of things to consider. One, there are a ton of great second tier sports that are waiting to catch on, as you seem to think lacrosse is. Ultimate frisbee, rugby, cricket, pool, hold'em poker, lacrosse, and even soccer (in the US) are all great games, and might even be better on TV than, say, baseball, but they can't all make it. Two, mabye none of them will. The sports market in the US is pretty saturated already. I think there's room for a sport to step up and have a season inbetween basketball and football, but who knows what it might be, if anything?

All that said, yeah, lacrosse is cool, and I'd watch it again, but not during football season.

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paulybrklynny

Marlyand, Long Island, and upstate New York are the hotbeds. Though it stretches a little further than that. Penn., Jersey, Conn. Mass. & Delaware all have at least a few high school teams, and UVA and North Carolina are pretty good college programs, though I dont think below northern Virginia you'll find many HS programs.

Only in Maryland (particularly right around Baltimore) is it really pervasive, its pretty big in New York state, but there are some places in Maryland in which it is pretty much the #1 game in town.

Its definatley growing though at the HS level, there are a lot of Canadian players (though there always have been), and there are more and more HS & college progams further west. Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Colorado & California lead the way.

I think the knock on it has always been that its an elitist sport. Played mainly in private high schools, and (generally) private eastern colleges. In many places this is very true. Another knock has been that as great a game as it is (and I played in HS in Jersey, & I love it, so I'm, not bagging it). Is that as a lower pecking order sport it doesn't necessarily attract the best athletes.

This is not to say Lax players aren't athletes, and the best of the best like the aforementioned Mike Powell, and the Gait brothers aren't great athletes. But in most towns the best athletes when choosing what sport to play in spring wind up playing baseball or basketball (at least that's the way it was in my town).

Also, because its an "elite" sport, played largely by middle & upper class people without a high paying pro league there's no incentive to stay in it beyond love of the game. With other better paying career choices many of the best don't stay in the game beyond college.

That said the college game is great, but is (as are most men's sports outside of major program football & basketball) threatened by Title IX, and we will probably see it shrink rather than grow, unfortunately.