I grew up playing lacrosse. Yes, it was boy’s lacrosse, but it was still lacrosse. Since my playing days, I have worked in the sport on multiple levels, and have recently gotten exposed to the girl’s game over the past few years.
I am a lacrosse analyst for a local New York sports station, where I do play-by-play and color commentary for high school and collegiate teams in the area. I have been doing so for four years now, and need to get something off of my chest.
The first women’s game I ever analyzed on TV was at Hofstra University, as the hometown Pride took on the Penn State Nittany Lions. When I arrived to the game, I went down to the field to talk to the coaches and players to prepare for the production meeting. I noticed two girls with soft helmets on, something I had never seen before. I learned that both players were recovering from concussions, so it made sense.
As the game went on, I saw a surprisingly physical game at the Division I level, and immediately wondered why these women did not have more protective gear. During the game, there were two extended stoppages in play due to head injuries on the field. One occurred after an offensive player followed through on a shot and hit a girl in the head with her stick. Yes, this is a penalty, but what does that do in terms on player safety?
I thought it was a fluke. I thought it was a coincidence. I was wrong.
I returned back to New Jersey to cover a Princeton University Women’s game, with the expectation that I would not see as many injuries. Once again, I was wrong.
In the first half, a girl was hit by a shot in the head, and subsequently collapsed to the ground. She was okay, by the look of it, and continued playing. Right before halftime, there was a ground ball near midfield, with about seven players vying for possession. A girl caught a shaft to the head, and once again, there was a 10-minute stoppage.
It got me thinking, in all of my years of lacrosse, why had I not seen female athletes with head injuries more often. Then I remembered, I had.
In high school, my team had a game immediately following the girls. I remember watching the game, which was tied in the fourth quarter. The competition heated up as the seconds counted down, and a girl heaved a shot in desperation as the buzzer sounded. A few girls had stopped playing on the other side of the field, and one caught the shot right in the temple. She was down for quite some time, and left the field on the back of a golf cart. What does this sound like to you? It sounds like an avoidable situation to me.
During my time at Rutgers University as an undergrad, I lived right next to a house full of athletes from the women’s lacrosse team. I remember one of them got hit with a shot in the head during practice, and she was out for multiple weeks. She was a big contributor on the field, and her career and safety were put in jeopardy because of a lack of regulation in the game. Why have this happen when adding protective equipment is such an easy fix?
Let’s fast forward. This year, I have covered multiple games at the high school level in New Jersey. In each one, there has been a stoppage or injury that could have been prevented with more protective gear. Yesterday, I saw two head injuries in one girl’s state playoff game. Absurd!
I get it. There are rules against excessive contact, stick checks to the head, and careless/reckless play. With that said, why are we relying on rules to protect players?
The game is changing. The athletes are bigger, faster and stronger. They play with the same material as the guys (hard ball, titanium/aluminum shafts), yet they wear only goggles? It does not make sense.
Let’s go back to those soft helmets that I saw at Hofstra. Why isn’t every player wearing one? Is it un-ladylike? Is it too expensive? I don’t get it. With all of the attention that head injuries are getting in our country, why is girl’s lacrosse living in the past? Why is it okay?
The change needs to come now. It should not take a severe head injury (or worse) to enact change in the sport. Let’s just think about it. These women are swinging around metal sticks, throwing a very hard rubber ball at high speeds, and running around with reckless abandon with their competitive spirit driving their efforts. Why are they only wearing goggles? Why are eyes being valued more than the brain?
None of the penalties or injuries I saw had any mal-intent, but nevertheless, resulted in some pretty traumatic events. Girl’s lacrosse is changing, just like every other sport in our country. These athletes are playing harder, getting stronger, and becoming more competitive. As the players change, the game needs to change with them.
Sure, if a game is played perfectly, meaning all the rules are followed, nobody should get hurt. Last time I checked, nobody was perfect. Protect these girls, and the sport becomes better for it.
The change needs to happen, and it needs to happen now.
