History of lacrosse
Lacrosse has its origins in a tribal game played by eastern Woodlands Native Americans and by some Plains Indians tribes in what is now the United States of America and Canada.
The game was extensively modified by European settlers to create its current collegiate and professional form.
Modern day lacrosse descends from and resembles games played by various Native American communities.
These include games called dehontsigwaehs in Oee ("they bump hips") pronounced "de-yoon-chee-gwa-ecks", tewa:aráton in Mohawk language ("it has a dual net") pronounced "de–wa–ah–lah–doon",[3] baaga`adowe in Ojibwe ("bump hips")[4] and Ishtaboli or kapucha toli ("little brother of war") in Choctaw.
The games were played in open plains located between the two villages, and the goals could range from 500 yards (460 m) to 6 miles (9.7 km) apart.
The very top of the pole, usually embellished with a large figure of a fish or other sacred animal, was worth three points.
[citation needed] The game began with the ball being tossed into the air and the two sides rushing to catch it.
[9] There was also a women's version of lacrosse called amtahcha in some areas, which used much shorter sticks with larger heads.
Another version that women played instead amongst the Iroquois and Eastern Woodland area was double ball.
Lacrosse was also played to toughen young warriors for combat, for recreation, as part of festivals, and for the bets involved.
Finally, lacrosse was played for religious reasons: "for the pleasure of the Creator," and to collectively pray for something.
[19] Great Lakes style sticks had one end bent into a 4-to-5-inch-diameter (100 to 130 mm) circle, which was filled with netting.
In the Southwestern United States a double-stick version was played with sticks about two and a half feet long.
[24] Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse.
[25] James Smith described in some detail a game being played in 1757 by his fellow tribe members "wherein they used a wooden ball, about three inches diameter, and the instrument they moved it with was a strong staff about five feet long, with a hoop net on the end of it, large enough to contain the ball.
"[26] In 1763, Ojibwas used a lacrosse game to capture Fort Michilimackinac (now Mackinaw City, Michigan).
The players gradually worked their way close to the gates, and then rushed into the fort and carried out a general massacre.
[29] In 1856, William George Beers, a Canadian dentist, founded Montreal Lacrosse Club.
The game was banned in some areas when, in 1900, Choctaw Indians attached lead weights to their sticks to use them as skull-crackers.
It quickly became the dominant form of the sport in Canada, in part due to the severe winter weather that limited outdoor play.
They received financial support from the Chernin Group, which owns Barstool Sports, and Alibaba co-founder Joseph Tsai.
The PLL offers a $25,000 minimum salary, which was three times more than what MLL players made, plus health-care benefits and equity in the league.
With proper financial backing, marketing, television broadcasting and distribution, the PLL had a successful first season that saw more viewership and interest than the MLL.
After two seasons, the MLL was merged into the more successful PLL in 2021, making the latter the sole men's pro field lacrosse league in North America.
