Rant on an Outrageous Comment

[Hf32jkm5]

Help me out I have little to no knowledge about lacrosse. Is it just another variation of the same game, put the "ball" in the net the most before the clock runs out? You know soccer, basketball, hockey, can I add lacrosse to the list?

[IronMonkey415]

Its a mixture of Soccer and Hockey.

[centereacan06]

Originally Posted by Hf32jkm5

Help me out I have little to no knowledge about lacrosse. Is it just another variation of the same game, put the "ball" in the net the most before the clock runs out? You know soccer, basketball, hockey, can I add lacrosse to the list?

Understanding How Lacrosse Is Played - For Dummies

[natbornkiller]

i have heard that for about the last 20 years, when i went to college in long island

[Hf32jkm5]

Originally Posted by centereacan06

Understanding How Lacrosse Is Played - For Dummies

That's what I though, first sentence pretty much sums it up. As with all of those game it's too simplistic, not enough depth. Perfect for a lot people I suppose.

I think it's funny when someone says that they like soccer or basketball but hate hockey, or the exact opposite. It's the SAME EXACT THING.

[centereacan06]

Originally Posted by Hf32jkm5

That's what I though, first sentence pretty much sums it up. As with all of those game it's too simplistic, not enough depth. Perfect for a lot people I suppose.

I think it's funny when someone says that they like soccer or basketball but hate hockey, or the exact opposite. It's the SAME EXACT THING.

Well, hockey is much different than soccer in that there is a TON more contact and it's much faster. Soccer tends to just lag on with a few seconds of excitement. In hockey, everything moves so quick and, obviously, fists can be thrown without ejections lol.

Same kind of goes for basketball, scoring happens around every 30 seconds and there is such a high tempo. Not trying to bash soccer, but it drags on for a good amount of time.

[SpastikMooss]

Originally Posted by Hf32jkm5

That's what I though, first sentence pretty much sums it up. As with all of those game it's too simplistic, not enough depth. Perfect for a lot people I suppose.

I think it's funny when someone says that they like soccer or basketball but hate hockey, or the exact opposite. It's the SAME EXACT THING.

You're missing out on a lot of sports man if that's how you view soccer, basketball, hockey, lacrosse, and other "put the ball in the net" sports. Super simplistic understanding of some terrific sports. I know I grew up obsessed with baseball but as I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate a lot more sports...there's a lot of strategy to getting the ball in the net!

Originally Posted by centereacan06

Well, hockey is much different than soccer in that there is a TON more contact and it's much faster. Soccer tends to just lag on with a few seconds of excitement. In hockey, everything moves so quick and, obviously, fists can be thrown without ejections lol.

Same kind of goes for basketball, scoring happens around every 30 seconds and there is such a high tempo. Not trying to bash soccer, but it drags on for a good amount of time.

Soccer is just a way bigger field area on grass, not really fair to compare that to the speed of hockey or basketball. And if you want to talk sports that drag, we're in a baseball forum...at least in soccer it's this constant thing. Each game has its own merits.

Also should add that I played six years of lacrosse and I love it. It brings that open field soccer element to hockey, but also elevates it rather than keeping the ball constantly on the ground. It also hits hard like hockey when done right. I was a goalie and I loved that rush! I also love the rule where you can keep possession if you beat the shot to the line...they don't have anything like that in hockey and I think it added a little more competition.

[xbignick]

My response would have been: "What the hell is lacrosse?"

Polarizing.

[ScooterD]

Interest in lacrosse will plateau long before it overtakes baseball. The only reason that it MAY be true that lacrosse is a fast-growing sport is because so many people in America are unfamiliar with it. On the other hand, most Americans are aware of baseball and have long ago decided to be or not to be a fan or involved with it. Consequently, there isn't as much room for grow compared to lacrosse or another, less-known sport.

Five years ago, I would have said that only football (American) would have a chance to overtake baseball as America's pastime. Basketball made a run at it... increasing in popularity.

Steroids have hurt baseball's popularity, but (in my opinion) there are some cultural barriers impeding basketball and football.

When I was a kid, in the 1970's, everyone said that soccer was going to be a HUGE in American professional sports in the future. They tried to get Pele here... he got hurt. The tried with Posh Spice's husband... he got hurt. The sport has grown (especially with yutes - I mean youths), but the market for professional soccer isn't near what it is for baseball, football or basketball. The money is better overseas... so that's where the talent goes - thus, American interest dwindles a little.

In the late 1980's, the Los Angeles Kings signed Wayne Gretzky... and then hockey was going to be a HUGE deal in America. The problem with hockey is that so many of the players are from foreign countries and their names are hard to pronounce and remember for the average Joe-Sixpack on the couch. Not too many people in West Virginia can tell you the name of the 16-year-old swedish hockey phenom playing for a club team in Norway right now (made up scenery... I have no idea). Granted, baseball players are coming from Latin-American countries more often now than ever before, but baseball doesn't seem to be suffering as much from this as hockey.

Basketball was great in the 80's and early 90's... Bird, Magic, Olajuwon, Ewing, Jordan, Barkley, Malone, Stockton, etc... Things have changed a bit though. Players have admitted to not playing hard until the playoffs (despite HUGE salary spikes since the mid-80's) and (again-in my opinion) the tattoos, babies'-mommas, unintelligible interviews, trash talking, fighting in the stands, etc... are difficult for some Americans to support.

Just my observations and opinions.

[SpastikMooss]

Originally Posted by ScooterD

Interest in lacrosse will plateau long before it overtakes baseball. The only reason that it MAY be true that lacrosse is a fast-growing sport is because so many people in America are unfamiliar with it.

When I stopped playing lacrosse (2006) lacrosse interest already seemed to be waning. MLL began in 2001 and though teams have spread out to non east coast areas, teams have also folded just as quick. There are a ton more teams all over the nation which is great, but it's certainly not sweeping the nation. The OP actually cracked me up because the coach's comment is stuff I heard back in 2005. It's 8 years later now and I think any chance that lacrosse had of sweeping the nation is long gone.

[MikeWilliamsFan]

My team has the one of the top three girls lacrosse teams in the country, and ours boys team is 1st in NJ. Its crazy in my town

[SpastikMooss]

Originally Posted by MikeWilliamsFan

My team has the one of the top three girls lacrosse teams in the country, and ours boys team is 1st in NJ. Its crazy in my town

And I think it always will be in Jersey, Maryland, parts of New York, eastern Massachusetts, etc. It's never gonna catch on the same way in the midwest, the non-suburbs, inner cities, etc. That said I freakin' love the sport.

[thescout]

what is lacross? Is that the weird game that Oz played in American Pie? I've never even heard of a place where one can play that, I'm being dead serious too, never knew anyone who has even mentioned it. I know people that have gone snipe hunting. I hear that is sweeping the nation, you should invite him on an outing.

[csa1373]

MLB's new TV deals with Fox, Turner, and ESPN for 8-years will deliver $12.4 BILLION through the life of the contracts....

Good luck with that Lacross!

[SpastikMooss]

Originally Posted by csa1373

MLB's new TV deals with Fox, Turner, and ESPN for 8-years will deliver $12.4 BILLION through the life of the contracts....

Good luck with that Lacross!

First off, it's spelled lacrosse...lol

Second off...again I'll reiterate...I heard people say this same thing about lacrosse in the northeast about 10 years ago. In the pockets of the country where it's big, it really does feel like it could be huge. But then again I'd say that about a lot of sports that have huge followings in small areas.

That said, the people who say it now are as dumb as the people who said it then...lacrosse would never top baseball. Start up costs are too much compared to other sports, stuff like nets and fields are too specialized, it's a hard game to just go out and play one on one for cheap and that puts it far behind most of the major american sports. So your coach was wrong...but guys it is actually a pretty sweet sport if you ever get a chance to watch it.

[BillInDallas]

Originally Posted by dlab85

Actually Disc Golf is one of the fastest growing sports in America as well, as is CrossFit. Soccer was one of the fastest growing sports in America at a time as well. Point being, if you have no following, you have nowhere to go but up. I don't see MLS, MLL, PDGA or CrossFit Games gaining a serious spectator following anytime soon.

^This. If the denominator of the "fastest growing sport" equation is small, then the rate of increase can easily be manipulated. Ask 1980's soccer, or 1990's hockey how that turned out. I curl. I couldn't tell you how many curlers there are in the United States, but I know it's small. Every four years, waves of people come to try the sport. I was one of those people. During those Olympic years, I'm sure the US Curling Association makes the claim about how fast curling is growing, but when your following is small, it doesn't take much to grow.

As for lacrosse, I do see it picking up steam here in Texas. It could be the high number of northern transplants here in Dallas playing a game from back home (similar to hockey in Dallas). But maybe it is growth of some sort. Then again, we have a 60-75 team cricket league in Dallas too. Maybe Dallas just likes it's niche sports.

[Jcorri7068]

I can see soccer

[dhendrix1303]

Lacrosse is growing but the stats are so low that any growth looks like a big one. Going from 1 to 2 is a huge increase percent wise but obviously not very much.

Good grammar for a 13-year old