It is never too early to begin to look ahead to what we want to see when the 2016 Major League Lacrosse season begins. Now that there are nine teams in the MLL, here are my nine things I would like to see happen this offseason:
9) Casey Powell suits up for one more season. Call me selfish, but even though Casey is pushing 40, he is only one year removed from being the league MVP. He can still run with the young guns and be one of the most productive players in the league. (Note: Casey and I are the same age and I am completely living vicariously through him. There I said it!)
8) The Atlanta Blaze set the MLL on fire right from the start. It is always exciting to have a new team in the league especially in a spot that is growing the game and has hosted a couple successful championship games. There will be a lot of talent available in the expansion so the opportunity for a good first season is there.
7) Dave Huntley gets the Chesapeake Bayhawks head coaching position. Coach Huntley is a proven winner at all levels of lacrosse and won an MLL championship with the Nationals in 2009. He is a player’s coach and would make a smooth transition for the organization having served on Dave Cottle’s staff.
6) Houston becomes the second expansion team this offseason. Having lived in Texas well before lacrosse became big in the state, the time is right to expand west as lacrosse has exploded in the Lone Star state in the last 10 years. They did a great job hosting the All-Star game and the folks down there seem ready for the challenge. And, seeing as I am on the Houston expansion team, I would love for them to incorporate the city’s space history into the name like the NBA Rockets, MLB Astros, and former WNBA Comets. I would also like it to be something original as well. My pick for the hopefully new MLL Houston team would be the Apollos.
5) I have never been a fan of the NCAA, NLL, and MLL all playing at the same time. The MLL is hurt the most and teams in April and early May are much different than the ones we see in June and July. I would like to see the season start around Memorial Day to allow those in the NLL a few weeks to get their bodies back to 100 percent and the majority of the college players ready to play as their season will have finished unless they are in the Final 4. The season can run with one bye week and hold the MLL Championship on Labor Day weekend.
4) Every MLL team creates a Director of Community Relations position for the sole purpose of sending their players to summer lacrosse camps and holding their own camps to promote the game, their team, and the league not only in their city, but region as well. This will help increase attendance, affinity for the local team, and promote the profile of the players. Some teams already do this, but this needs to be standard amongst all teams.
3) The MLL should continue showing behind the scenes and inside the huddle type programming to get fans closer to the game and the players. Ohio’s “Making of the Machine” was a fantastic mini-series where you got an in-depth look at training camp. Allowing the TV game cameras in the locker room pre-game and in the huddles during timeouts may seem a little over the top to the players and coaches, but it will give MLL fans a hands-on look at the strategy and lifestyle which other leagues just don’t really do.
2) Continue to hold the All-Star game and Championship game in cities that will bid and put on a great show. The Atlanta area and Houston are prime examples of places that wanted to invest in the MLL and did an excellent job hosting events. Many areas of California are continuing to explode and it may be time to take another look at Los Angeles and San Francisco. Portland would be another solid option to work with Ryan Powell who has done a great job spreading the sport throughout Oregon. Dallas would be a solid option as Jerry Jones has many members of his family that play and has hosted some lacrosse events in Cowboys Stadium. One other place worth a look that is off the map a little is Indianapolis. Central Indiana has added a lot of high school and college programs as the Midwest has expanded its lacrosse footprint.
1) Keep talking about the game. Spread the word about the MLL. You can make as much noise as anyone. Fans need to continue to talk about the MLL on social media, call the local sports talk radio stations to talk MLL and its players, watch the games on ESPN3 and the soon to be Lax Sports Network, and attend games. Fans can make such a huge difference in the growth of this league!
Brendan McDaniels is a color analyst for the MLL Television broadcasts. Follow Brendan on Twitter @McDanielsSports.
