Best of Lax 2019: The Future Has Arrived

For three days, fans flooded through the gates at two stadiums 20 miles apart. They arrived with the excitement normally reserved for Memorial Day.

The college season had ended. But the buzz around lacrosse had only begun.

Three pro leagues — Major League Lacrosse, the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League and the newly founded Premier Lacrosse League — celebrated opening weekends May 31-June 2 in Boston. A microcosmic 72 hours in which the professional lacrosse landscape changed forever.

In the first-ever PLL game June 1 at Gillette Stadium, Archers took down Chrome in an overtime thriller. It set the tone for an inaugural season of innovative broadcasts, game-changing social media and gripping game-ending finishes.

A night earlier, 30 minutes away, the Boston Cannons christened Veterans Memorial Stadium with a win over the New York Lizards in the MLL opener. The 19th season, for one welcome change, did not overlap with the college or pro indoor league campaigns. MLL also contracted to six teams, then doubled down on its franchises with deep local ties.

The WPLL also declared its staying power in its second season, which started at Gillette Stadium on June 2. Players took the field equipped with revamped logos, jersey designs and team names.

In 2019, four different professional lacrosse leagues (including the National Lacrosse League) crowned champions. Games aired on NBC, NBC Sports, ESPN2, ESPNU, Bleacher Report Live and more channels.

Fans knew this year would be different as soon as Paul Rabil and his brother, Mike, co-founded the PLL in late 2018. But it was tough to envision just how this rising tide would lift all boats.

“The argument is, ‘Look, there are a ton of great professional lacrosse players in the world,’” Boston Cannons president Ian Frenette said. “We’ve opened up a whole new world of opportunity for guys that want to play 10 months out of the year. Professional lacrosse is at a great place.”

The PLL cultivated a massive following with unfiltered, frequent access to its players. The social media was constant and disruptive, churning out content at a dizzying rate. The touring model also gave people in 13 different cities — a mix of established and emerging markets — contact with its entire roster of 150-plus pros every weekend.

Highlights from season one included a sellout of Homewood Field, where 16,701 came out to watch three PLL games in addition to a pair of WPLL contests.

The PLL also agreed to a deal with NBC as a broadcasting partner. A Week 2 matchup between Chaos and Atlas was the most-watched pro outdoor lacrosse game of all-time, with 412,000 fans viewing on NBC. According to Front Office Sports, more than 10,000 fans bought the PLL package on NBC Sports Gold. Many more games aired on NBC Sports Network.

During the broadcasts, fans got up close and personal with players and coaches, with innovative camera angles, on-field and under-the-helmet interviews. The broadcast experience was unlike anything lacrosse had seen.

“I’ve got to tell you, this beat our expectations,” Rabil said in a video following the championship game. “Because of all of you guys supporting us at home, through devices like these and on TV — 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, you name it — the PLL is here to stay.”

As is MLL, which pushed back the start of its season to better align with the NLL and allow its college draft picks a full summer to shine. The league ceased operations of the Ohio Machine, Florida Launch and Charlotte Hounds before the season, leaving teams in its six strongest markets.

Fans responded positively, with the league announcing a 16-percent growth in attendance to games from 2018 to 2019. MLL had four games televised on ESPN networks, and more on Stadium and Lax Sports Network.

“I sleep better now knowing that all the changes we just made in April have put us in a much better place to own our own media, attract new ownership with deep pockets that want to take this thing to the next level,” Frenette said.

Professional women’s lacrosse also proliferated. The WPLL partnered with the PLL and ESPN and staged playoff games in front of packed stadiums at Yale and US Lacrosse. The season ended in a thriller that aired on ESPNU — a game that produced a #SCTop10 moment when Kayla Treanor went behind-the-back for a stellar goal.

“It was just a fantastic way to display our sport,” WPLL founder and CEO Michelle DeJuliis said after Brave claimed the title with a 13-12 comeback win over Fight, “and the way these women play it.”

While the outdoor leagues took the spotlight during the summer, the NLL has also increased its footprint. There’s more American interest, with the San Diego Seals, Philadelphia Wings and New York Riptide joining the league in the past two years and an influx of American talent.

The NLL partnered with Bleacher Report Live in early 2019, adding to existing agreements with Twitter, CBS Sports Digital and Facebook Watch.

“This partnership will be transformational in terms of how we consume live content and highlights in an ever-growing digital space,” NLL commissioner Nick Sakiewicz said in March.

Four leagues, each thriving in its own way. Welcome to the pro lacrosse revolution.

MOST-READ ON USLAXMAGAZINE.COM

How prominent was the PLL in 2019? The new pro league accounted for four of the top five most-read articles (not including rankings or landing pages) on USLaxMagazine.com.

1. ESPN Announces 2019 College Lacrosse Television Schedule

2. PLL AND NBC SPORTS Announce TV and Live Streaming Schedule

3. PLL Announces Rosters for Six Inaugural Teams with Creative Release

4. EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PLL, Paul’s Rabil’s Bold New Venture

5. PLL UNVEILS NAMES, Logos for Six Inaugural Teams

6. TEHOKA NANTICOKE Suspended Indefinitely by NCAA for Instagram Post

7. BRENNAN O'NEILL Is the Next Big Thing in Lacrosse

8. PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE Announces 30 Finalist Host Cities

9. PLL Announces Updated Playing Rules for Inaugural Season

10. BRACKETOLOGY: Cornell or Maryland? Let the Debate Begin

11. PRESTON BURBIDGE and the Wave That Polarized a Lacrosse Community

12. PAT SPENCER Confirms Plans to Play College Basketball Next Season