There are many aspects to consider when thinking about the growth of lacrosse. The sport has its own culture; when expanding internationally there are thousands of national cultures that may (not) agree with the game’s style. In other words, just because lacrosse is accepted in the US and Canada does not mean global cultures will be as accepting or thrilled.
Now, let’s channel this idea: American and Canadian lacrosse. For those that do not already know, hockey is NOT the national sport of Canada; lacrosse is the national tradition. However, hockey can be accredited as the most popular sport in Canada. Therefore, lacrosse has a unique style in Canada: indoor. Hold that thought, we will come back to it.
In America, the game has clung more closely to its historical roots and is most popularly played outside. From youth leagues up to NCAA and professional play, the United States focuses on the 10-man, outdoor, controlled pace of the game. Yes, it is still fast paced, but not as fast as indoor.
The Canadian style of indoor lacrosse resembles hockey: played in a rink with the ice removed, full checks into the boards, and each team allowed 5 players and a goalie on at a time. This leads to a faster pace than outdoor because a loose ball will constantly stay in bounds. Aggressive play is expected more, and there are no out-of-bounds to help. The goals are 4’x4’ rather than 6’x6’ and the goalies wear more padding, making less open net available.
Americans enjoy being able to control the ball, set up an offense, rotate a defense, and run through all their different schemes. More space and time means less ball control skills and stick protection experience.
College coaches in the United States began realizing this aspect of lacrosse and consequently paid attention to players in Canada, creating more recruiting options. “Over the past 5 years, there has been an explosion of Canadians entering the NCAA. College coaches took notice after the 2006 world championships in which Canada beat the US for the first time in over 30 years”
On top of more recruiting and new cultures being included on NCAA teams, this aided in bridging the two nations of Canada and USA in the sport of lacrosse. The National Lacrosse League picked up in attention and media coverage. The Major League Lacrosse organization, the LXM Pro Tour, and other outdoor leagues found a new class of recruiting available.
As the sport expands out west (in America), uncommon lacrosse states are popping up everywhere: Texas, Kansas, Colorado, California, Kentucky, etc. Every geographical location has its all-stars and standout athletes, but that does not mean the programs there are strong (just yet).
Denver University was quickly recognized by lacrosse media outlets for their quick growth of a varsity program and huge success on the field. Like the majority of NCAA lacrosse in the USA Denver plays outdoor. One of their recent grads, who was also a standout, was Eric Law.
Eric Law, 22 years old, graduated from Denver U (also a Colorado native) with 75 points his senior year (40 goals and 35 assists). He led the team with 146 career points (83 goals and 66 assists) and played over the summer on the Denver Outlaws. His summer statistics were quite successful, accumulating 9 goals in one game (their semifinal loss) and a phenomenal season.
Drafted as the 28th overall pick, Law will now play for the Toronto Rock under a one-year contract. Moving to the indoor style will definitely be a transition for him, but when looking at the bigger picture, one must wonder “What does this represent for lacrosse?”
Along with his college teammate Cameron Flint, Canada lacrosse is now recognizing American players just as NCAA coaches began recruiting Canadian players. The National Lacrosse League is, indeed, a Canadian organization, and the USis trying to create multiple leagues, the most popular one recently being USLL (United States Lacrosse League: indoor).
I think this is a statement for North American lacrosse. The culture bridge I mentioned earlier is growing stronger with every move, and the international lacrosse scene is filled with American players moving around the world.
For the National Lacrosse League, I believe this can represent a major step in growth in the United States. This has the potential, with more acquisitions of American players, to pull more attention to the NLL and indoor style. Hockey is not as popular in the US as football, baseball or basketball. That is a big component to indoor lacrosse success in America. In regards to NLL growth, Eric Law moving to the Toronto Rock balances a cross-country-border growth that indoor lacrosse is beginning to recognize, utilize, and benefit the league growth. I have a feeling Law will be just as successful in Canada, and will build upon his already strong skills.
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