A lot has happened this week in the NLL, so much you would almost not even notice that the 2014 season was over. The Rochester Knighthawks held another parade showing off the Champion’s Cup once again. The league announced its end of year award nominees as well. One of the biggest announcements coming out of Vancouver was future Hall of Fame coach Chris Hall announced his retirement.
With all this activity in just a mere couple of weeks from the end of the season what else could be on the horizon, both for each individual team, as well as the league as a whole. Especially when the NLL survived another season without a team ceasing operations. Will the rumor mill come true for the relocation of Edmonton, or the doors closing in Minny? Lucky for all of us NLL fans that these are just rumors, at least for now.
For the NLL to keep pace and keep growing there needs to be more league initiative to grow the game. Some key aspects to getting exposure have to be a new major development in a TV deal with a great network such as ESPN, NBC, or FOX. Both ESPN and NBC were carrying game(s) in years past. This deal is pivotal to catching the eyes of new fans that have yet to be exposed to the sport, as well as potential sponsors. If this area of improvement does not seem viable for many reasons then there are other ways for improving exposure as well. Running commercials for games in the areas that have franchises to help boost attendance, which will in turn, help the league sustain attendance league wide.
The league and majority of ownership(s) cannot get by with the lacrosse community alone. It is going to take the casual fan and those who just love the sport, but do not necessarily play. The marketing of the league needs to start at the top down, not each team fending for themselves if they expect to sustain any longevity for the future. Having witnessed, like so many others, teams folding or suspending operations makes the NLL look weak to any outsider who cares to do a little research. It can also deter fans from purchasing season tickets to a team if they see no reason to get attached to a team if they think it will fail.
Often times I look back at where the league was 20 years ago when I first was exposed to the sport, and I wonder where that brand has gone. It has become more family friendly, spread across the U.S. and Canada, but at what cost? When will this fastest growing sport for the past 20+ years make its mark? It is great to have the NLL as a pinnacle for the players, owners, and the fans. A league for all the others to look up to and aspire to be, but there is still so much more to improve upon.
Maybe this offseason fans will see some change, maybe the rumors of expansion will come to light this year or next. A television deal could get struck if the timing and deal is right. For now we will just have to sit back, hit refresh on our browser(s) when the feed is bad, and enjoy things for what they are. After all it is better than no lacrosse at all. What kind of world would that be? Some of my favorite memories have happened on the lacrosse field.
