Lacrosse has long been known as an east coast sport in the United States, but has seen growth across the country in recent years. Why is it known as an east coast sport and how did it get to be so popular? What other areas of the country have seen growth in lacrosse?
Where did the sport of lacrosse originate?
Lacrosse’s history can be traced to the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, confederacy that lived in what is now New York state and parts of Canada bordering Lake Ontario and New York. The Haudenosaunee people view lacrosse as much more than a sport. To them, it has deep spiritual roots. They call it the Creator’s game and features in their creation story.
Lacrosse first took root in Canada and was named the official sport of Canada (not hockey!) in 1859. Then a Canadian named John Flannery formed the U.S. National Amateur Lacrosse Association in 1879 after moving to New York for work.
Why did lacrosse become so popular in the Northeast and East Coast?
This geographical tie to the east coast and New York in particular defined the growth of lacrosse at the college and professional level. At the collegiate level, the blue-blood schools are all along the east coast and traditionally in the north east.
Most high-profile programs have ties to New York state in particular. At all three levels of NCAA lacrosse, New York schools rank among the elite programs historically. As of 2019, New York had the most high school players participating in lacrosse.
However, lacrosse has spread across the nation at both the college and professional levels in the last two decades. By 2018, the number of college offering women’s lacrosse almost doubled from 256 to 505, while men’s lacrosse expanded to 380 teams.
What state has the most high school athletes playing lacrosse?
While New York may be the top state in terms of high school lacrosse participation, and with good reason, California ranked second in the nation with over 20,000 high school athletes playing lacrosse in 2019.
California also recently added a National Lacrosse League team with the San Diego Seals starting play during the 2018-19 season.
Is Lacrosse popular in the Midwest?
The Midwest has grown into a lacrosse hotbed as well recently. Illinois has seen a boom of participation, going from 973 high school athletes playing lacrosse to 7,290 in five years. Ohio grew at the second-fastest rate, seeing a 40% increase in participation. Ohio also fields the fourth-most NCAA lacrosse teams in the nation with 51 schools participating in lacrosse.
Where are the best professional lacrosse players from?
As lacrosse expands across the United States, its Native American roots still run deep. One of the best professional players of the last decade is Lyle Thompson, a member of the Onondaga Nation.
He holds the NCAA Division I records for career assists with 225 and career points with 400. His professional career has lived up to the hype of his highly-decorated college career. Through 108 career NLL games with the Georgia Swarm, he has 249 goals and 317 assists for a total of 566 points, averaging just over five points a game.
In 49 career Major League Lacrosse games, he scored 131 goals, one two-point goal, and 81 assists for 213 points. In his first PLL season, he featured in 10 games, scored 23 goals and added 12 assists for 35 points.
While the east coast is the historic hotbed of lacrosse due to the Haudenosaunee people, it is rising in popularity across the US, particularly in California and the Midwest.
