Annual Lacrosse rant 20013...

[huskysupporter]

Looks like a fun sport to play. To watch? Not so much.

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[Waquoit]

The one lacrosse play that sticks in my mind is a guy stopped, not wanting to cross a line, waiting while the ball slowly rolls toward him. What kind of stupid sport is that? Sounds like the six-on-six basketball my mother used to play. I think we've already reached peak LAX. And the peak never surpassed beach volleyball.

 

[SubbaBub]

As a former HS varsity attackman, I can confidently say lax is about where is will always be. A regional sport. Much like rodeo. Youth lax is the new youth soccer.

I watched yesterdays game more as a novelty. Nice to see, but I didn't find it very exciting, though by lax standards it was a pretty exciting game.

It was much less violent than I remember. I recall getting whacked repeatedly on the arm and back more than I saw yesterday. Must have upped the enforcement against slashing.

Cuse really fell apart at the end. Duke guys were running free in front of goal without consequence. Neither goalie played particularly well.

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[HuskyHawk]

Looks like a fun sport to play. To watch? Not so much.

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This seems to be it in a nutshell. For all those who hate soccer, or seemingly baseball, both are strong in participation on a national and international basis and as spectator sports. I think the biggest thing holding back the MLS is that it isn't among the 10 best leagues in the world, and every other league in the U.S. is the best league for its sport. American soccer fans treat it about they way they treat AAA baseball. When top international teams come here, they sell lots of tickets.

Lacrosse is fun to play, but really isn't much as a spectator sport. That isn't likely to change anytime soon.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Oh good, so you'll be alive to watch lacrosse become a major sport.

I doubt it but I'll never say never. I think it'll continue to grow as a youth sport, though I do feel it's capped by the cost to play (won't become soccer anytime soon). I agree with a lot of the sentiment in this thread. I played both lacrosse and hockey as a kid and both were fun to play, but neither are very good to watch (and lacrosse doesn't even have hockey's physical play as a draw).

 

[ConnHuskBask]

LOL, the best part about lacrosse fan boys is how the only thing they can say to prop their sport up is that baseball is boring. Hilarious.

Nobody in America cares about lacrosse. Period.

I would make a bet that the MLS over takes the MLB before professional lacrosse even over takes the WNBA and i loathe women's basketball.

 

[zls44]

LOL, the best part about lacrosse fan boys is how the only thing they can say to prop their sport up is that baseball is boring. Hilarious.

Nobody in America cares about lacrosse. Period.

I would make a bet that the MLS over takes the MLB before professional lacrosse even over takes the WNBA and i loathe women's basketball.

BRO BACK OFF BRO BRO

 

[freescooter]

With a few minor exceptions, it is a minor sport. I looked at attendance numbers for the the Big East and some lacrosse "powers" a couple of years ago and they were uninspiring to say the least. I kept hearing about this lacrosse belt in Fairfield County, but while it might exist, nobody appears to attend college games. Typical attendance at Fairfield was 2-300, Yale was a bit higher, maybe 500. Even UMass which has a pretty good program, made a few deep runs including national runner up within the past decade, barely cracks 1500. Among Big East teams, with e=the exception of Syracuse the numbers have been bleak too. I put college lacrosse in a catagorey like many other sports, volleyball, golf, and so forth. If you're doing it because you want to offer a program that's fine. if you're doing it for any other reason, don't bother. You aren't getting 10,000, or most likely even 1000 old grads back on campus to watch the Husky laxmen take on Temple.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Lacrosse most definitely is a youth sport experiencing growth in Connecticut. It's tough to predict where it will go in the future though. I have no idea how many players are required to play the game, or how many you need on a roster, but I do know that the only reason that growth like this can happen, is that there is room to grow. The question is whether or not it will sustain once there isn't room to grow anymore, and the number of kids starts to far exceed the number of spots on the fields.

I know nothing about the game except there was a guy that played lacrosse that lived on my floor in the dorm (it was a club sport, I think it still is and I didn't know anybody else that actually played, no idea how many players there were) and he would come back from wherever they played or practiced whatever, with his arms and legs all cut up and bleeding all the time. It was because they always played on fields that weren't well taking care of. I always asked him why he didn't at least wrap his forearms or wear higher socks or something, if they're diving and rolling around in gravel filled fields and parking lots to play. He would just always shrug and drink more beer. Much respect for athletes that have no fear or hesitation, of going to the ground in a gravel filled parking lot, to play their sport, but you figure that if you do it a couple times, and you're picking pieces of gravel out of your legs and arms, after the day, you learn. Never understood that part of that dude.

Anyway, the sport is clearly in a growth phase at the youth and high school level in the state. Sooner or later, though, the same thing that happens to all youth sports, is going to happen though, and that's parents. Parents want their kids to have playign time, and they want their say with the coaches. When the numbers of kids start to outnumber the number of spots on the field, and especially, the number of decent coaches, that's when we'll know if it's something that will sustain, or it will contract again.

All those kids should be playing football when they get to high school anywayl!!!

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

Baseball gives the morbidly obese something to feel good about.

Aren't you the guy who loves soccer and cycling?

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

All ball busting aside......can someone please explain to me why UConn should add a money losing proposition to it's varsity lineup?

 

[freescooter]

The real growth sport is ultimate Frisbee! And Connecticut is a national leader at the high school level! If UConn had an UF team we could land local players and be a power in no time. We had local schools win the new England title numerous times over the past 10 years! And on top of that, since the game is coed, you have no title IX issues! Win win win.

 

[intlzncster]

Seeing as most Americans couldn't care less about lacrosse, that obviously is a question up for debate. I understand the draw of lacrosse in the same way I understand the draw of soccer, but just like soccer, every time I try to watch, I find myself horribly bored. Maybe it's more fun to watch in person and is just a bad sport for TV (like hockey IMO).

I love lacrosse, because I played it. That said, it's one of those games that has to be watched live imo. It's too difficult to follow the white ball into the white sticks. I'd like them to go to an orange ball for TV. It would be easier on the goalies (less deception), but more fun for the fans. The only good thing about TV is the replay on goals. But you can get that when you get home from the game.

It's a really great game to see in the flesh, just like Hockey imo (as long as you aren't nosebleeds). New England Prep school hockey was so fun to watch live. You'd be banging on the glass right next to the action. Put it on film and it loses something.

As I said, I love the game, but rarely watch college on TV because it's difficult to follow.

 

[DOZE860]

just my 2 cents, i think more parents are trying to steer their kids away from football, and lacrosse is where they end up...

 

[Dann]

Major sports are major or became major because of skill involved. That's where the money is. Baseball. The ball is in your hand throwing. Soccer the ball is on your foot. Football you throw the ball. Bball you handle the ball with your hand. The reason hockey will never reach the status is because the stick touches the puck. The reason it's the most popular niche is because ice gives it a added skill level. Lax has just a stick. The $ will never be in that type of skill.

When everyone was playing little league 10 years ago the kids who didn't make the Allstate team never showed up the next season. There parents took them to a new sport. All you have to be to play lax is a athlete. The skill in it is far less as well as the mental game. Those two characteristics being less that major sports allow it to be easy to pick up and learn. If you took a alien who never saw sports and watched a baseball game a football game and a lax game they would be able to explain lax by far the best. They would quickly understand the box and how many guys where. It's obvious stuff. But could they explain to you Tampa 2 or the wheel play? It goes on and on.

Lax has no major league that's good because its just never going to make the $. The skills involved are not worth soccer or football or baseball $. It's that simple. A high % of lax players and families are well off also. So they are not hungry to play lax or see the sport become bigger. They already have money or can get it thru education. There will never be that farm boy baseball hunger or hood bball player hunger to strive to the top. It's just not going to exist in large qualities and that's what drives competition.

Side note. Want to know a favorite of mine? Ppl love to say football players are dumb. I laugh. At worst 99% of football players played 3 years in college. Now even if all they did was gym class and watched a girl do there laundry naked those 3 years they still socialized a bit and what ever else. I would wager a high % of those at least went to some classes and heard intelligent things to boot. In baseball do you have any clue how many hs kids go pro right away and how many players are straight off the boat? It's a lot. Kids don't know how to tuck in there uni or do laundry. Guys off the boat no speaka and know nothing culture wise. Middle school would be over reaching with a lot of them. Baseball never gets the rep tho of being dumb. Always find that funny. Anyway, lax? Every kid has daddy money or at least a college degree and a lot are top university's. big difference. Hunger and skill will always lack.

Lax is a great niche sport. I'm not trying to say its stupid but just saying its not on a certain level. Uconn needs lax yesterday. There are only 60ish teams in d1. Fairfield and several other programs get locals a lot who don't go to the ivys, duke, Cuse and others and they sit in the 25-50 level. It's very easy if your uconn with your brand name to quickly challenge in lax. Ct as a state can fill half your roster or more and ny/ma/pa/nj make recruiting easy let alone trips to md.. Hire the ex duke guy at Bryant and pay him to build a monster. Focus on Darien and Fairfield prep at home and then go from there. Lax at uconn could get a soccer like following and I think that's completely reasonable. Play fairfield and 2more school at the rent on a weekend and sell it to all fball tix holders. So much you could do with it...the final 4 is almost always in the north east so travel to a one day big game could be very special on the uconn fan base potentially.

The key is this. Lax postseason gets on tv. It's a small but worthy draw. It also gets uconn deeper into areas like fairfield county and northern nj. Brand wise that's a smart move. It also puts you in the eyes of big money families. Sports like tennis or swimming types will never do that for uconn..

If I was uconn I would play these men sports and no other. Football, soccer, basketball, hockey, baseball, lax and golf. Any other I would need to be convinced of its value to uconn. On the girls side I would play softball because it has postseason value and a following worth tickets at times. Bball is a obvious. Then lax, field hockey, hockey, soccer, golf and then what ever it takes to get title 9 square. Track and field on both sides could be a missing piece but show me the value. You want polo or something like that ok I get it. But let's be a smart university. Play sports where there is value either on tv, in the stands or after college where athletes can rep uconn.

 

[Dann]

The real growth sport is ultimate Frisbee! And Connecticut is a national leader at the high school level! If UConn had an UF team we could land local players and be a power in no time. We had local schools win the new England title numerous times over the past 10 years! And on top of that, since the game is coed, you have no title IX issues! Win win win.

I know a lot of kids who since hs have started playing. It's getting popular. It's a good club sport to sponsor and ct def is at the front of it. It's not ever worth a sec of time right now ad wise tho.

Where uconn needs to be fresh is in rugby. It's rising quick and nationally it's popular. We should use senoritas 21 to make rugby trips and . We have a few hs in ct that are rugby elite in the USA. I have 2 friends who play on national teams for a living pay check wise from hs. The potential is very big. It's a no brainer to me.

 

[Jimmy Serrano]

I know a lot of kids who since hs have started playing. It's getting popular. It's a good club sport to sponsor and ct def is at the front of it. It's not ever worth a sec of time right now ad wise tho.

Where uconn needs to be fresh is in rugby. It's rising quick and nationally it's popular. We should use senoritas 21 to make rugby trips and . We have a few hs in ct that are rugby elite in the USA. I have 2 friends who play on national teams for a living pay check wise from hs. The potential is very big. It's a no brainer to me.

What value does LAX and rugby bring? WTF am I missing here?

 

[Dann]

What value does LAX and rugby bring? WTF am I missing here?

Lax is on tv postseason wise. That's worthy tv time. In the future if uconn was in the acc or b10 lax would be on tv all the time on the network channel for the league. The future of the b10n and accn and secn etc are live programming and what draws are big brands. That's where uconn is value. Our bball, soccer and what I'm saying is lax could be that also. The potential is there. The b10n pays school a nice chunk for puck inventory. That's what we want for puck, lax, soccer etc etc... Lax also has hotbeds where talent is. You can claim ct overall is a nice territory but I will let you have the 860 and I'll take the 203. Deal? Of course not. The $ is in the 203 and guess where uconn needs to expand its brand value. People who can use one sport to help another and the brand can see the potential in brand value lax could bring.

The future of the power 4 with tv networks is being able to sell fball and bball games to other networks and at the same time stil have some left over with a ton of live sports from there brands in small sports. Soccer games, lax, baseball, puck etc. big brands bring a constant audience. Money in the bank.

Rugby is the next rising sport. It's growing. It's very popular over seas and locally. Recruiting students overseas would be interesting if the uconn rugby team went to Aussie to play for a week. Imagine the foreign exchange brand value in that.

I can go on for days. My big stink was and still is that uconn doesn't have some one who has vision and strategic management where they can put 2 and 2 and 2 together and get 6. We lack that. Warde ain't the answer and Susan ain't either. She has her eyes on a soon to be open ivy job like her awkward brother. That's why she's slamming things down throats to get done now. Boosting the resume for herself. Her favorite sport is lax. Is that a joke? Not if you a ivy president but if your at uconn there were 3 honest answers and we all know those 3.

In realignment were comfortable where we are because we have 2 ppl looking out for there next jobs and resumes and not 2 go getters. It will take the acc or b10 needing us to fill a slot for us to move which will happen soon based off our brand value alone. These 2 put up a good face but lack actual substance. It's obvious when you take off the glasses and you stop reading a select few here's constant deflections.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Right or wrong, lacrosse is a sport that does come with a stereotype, and it is the stereotype of the rich, elite, prep school kids. You don't find a lot of public school systems, and/or city youth athletic leagues for lacrosse, adn the sport is pretty much non-existent at points father west, than say - Washington D.C.

I'm pretty sure what Dan is trying to say - in much better literary fashion than in the past BTW - must have been away, practicing writing......like it .....but what I think he's trying to say, is that by investing in men's lacrosse, and developing a top 25 program, would benefit the school, by creating that stereotype for UCONN in the general population of the east coast and north east in general. If that's the message, it's actually a message I agree with. I can't imagine that a men's lacrosse program would involve a great deal of money to invest in, aside from paying a good coach. I have no idea how big a roster is, or how many scholarships it would take. But it's a sport that's played on open fields, and we've got plenty of them. Don't need to build any new facilities. The biggest cost would be the added scholarships, and whatever affect it would have on keeping women's sports balanced with men's.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Someone has put some thought into this

 

[Carl Spackler]

The best way to get people in the 203s to be interested in UCONN, is to schedule important games, and WIN. The proof will be in the pudding, over the years. BUt if you are one too look at past history, we regularly matched up with Syracuse, Rutgers, for many years in basketball, and for several years in football. None of that moved a meter of interest much in the richest portion of this state.

But football, against schools like say BYU, Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State.......matching up in football with schools like that, for me, would seem to have a much greater potential to penetrate that market share for UCONN and get all those people with all those benjamins interested in spending money on UCONN. I know it's been beaten like a dead horse, but I would investigate heavily scheduling Notre Dame at the Yale Bowl. Michigan at Yankee Stadium and Penn State at Meadowlands.

UCONN men's lacrosse, while huskydan makes a passionate, and decently written (gulp) appeal and argument, in reality, wouldn't do jack for the value of the uconn athletic department other than engaging the typical stereotype of the men's lacrosse college program, in casual discussion among rich people.

My personal feeling, is that I don't think the youth movement in lacrosse is going to last, because the number of good coaches, can't possibly be growing as fast as the number of kids playing, and especially when the numbers of concussions and traumatic injuries start ramping way up as well. And they already are.

 

[babysheep]

Oh God do people really believe crap like this?

Look at the demographics of who plays lacrosse. Look at how the demographics of the country are changing.

Yeah better athletes play lacrosse than baseball across the board. That is why one has billions and billions of revenue and one is played because schools prop it up with student fees.

99% of the population could not name a single living lacrosse player. There is a really good reason for this.

You people are acting like I am/we are suggesting that MLL will be the fifth major sport in America tomorrow

 

[babysheep]

My personal feeling, is that I don't think the youth movement in lacrosse is going to last, because the number of good coaches, can't possibly be growing as fast as the number of kids playing, and especially when the numbers of concussions and traumatic injuries start ramping way up as well. And they already are.

Oh, please. There will always be enough coaches, is that some kind of joke?

And this isn't football. With pads, it's a pretty safe sport.

 

[babysheep]

LOL, the best part about lacrosse fan boys is how the only thing they can say to prop their sport up is that baseball is boring. Hilarious.

Are you saying it isn't?

 

[babysheep]

just my 2 cents, i think more parents are trying to steer their kids away from football, and lacrosse is where they end up...

If I have a boy, this is definitely what I'm doing. We've all seen some from playing football. I know I'd rather not chance that happening to my kid, unless he really wanted to play