Lacrosse top the list of the fastest growing sports. It is one of the earliest sports in the US, but somehow it went into a long hiatus before the coming out strongly in the 21st century. Many would ask, why the sharp rise in popularity in a sport which was once considered elitist?
First, lacrosse is an exciting game, and it is gender-neutral; both boys and girls use the same rules. The sport is flexible on where it can be played. It can adapt to a majority of playing fields. While the game is physical like soccer, it doesn't involve major injuries. If you have the best lacrosse heads you can take the fun to the next level. You just have to know how to catch and throw against a wall. Moreover, anyone …show more content…
As soon as one touches the stick, lacrosse stops being a game but a lifestyle. Even if you aren't paying yet, you will notice that everything about it is just fun. The majority of participants are youth under 15 years, but the rate at which it is exploding, it might one day be treated as an All-American sport.
The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that the sport has grown by 29.8% from 2010 to 2015. Likewise, figures from US Lacrosse shows that the sport has grown by 138% from 2001 to 2012. In fact, no other high school sport has surpassed the 10% mark in terms of growth in the recent past. The rate of growth is even higher in the college ranks where the men’s and women’s programs are growing by 33.5% and 36.6% respectively.
The sport was first introduced by native Americans (Native American Iroquois people) who lived in the northeastern part near Canada. It was later adopted and nurtured by the Canadians. This is why the sport has been popular in the northern region for a long time. The sport is still popular among a majority of youths in New York and Massachusetts. However, in the recent past, the sport has reach midwest and it is gaining popularity in others parts of the …show more content…
What motivates many lacrosse enthusiasts is that there is an opportunity for more growth in various regions.
The commissioner of Major League Lacrosse (MLL), David Gross, liked the growth of the sport to a virus. He added that once players picked up the stick, they remain with it for life. The growth of lacrosse has trickled to the collegiate level. Within the last two years, over 70 colleges across the nation have started varsity lacrosse. It is expected that 50 more four-year colleges will have launched the program by 2019 season.
Today, there are more than 800,000 lacrosse players who are members of various teams. Teenagers under 15 years constitute more than half of the players (450,000). This indicates that while the numbers are impressive, the professional circuit accounts for a smaller percentage of the sport. So, the professionals need to keep up with the faster-growing feeder system. The good news is that the Major League Lacrosse is planning to expand the league to 16 teams within a