Major League Lacrosse has undergone a number of changes this offseason, but an unexpected announcement on Monday will dramatically alter the 2019 season.
The league announced that the Ohio Machine, Florida Launch, and Charlotte Hounds will cease operations for the 2019 season though MLL commissioner Alexander Brown added that Charlotte will return in 2021 under new ownership.
The league also announced it had reacquired its media rights, looking to “seek a broadcast partner with broader reach for its fans, players, and sponsors,” and that the league would limit one team per owner.
While April 1 is known as a day of pranks, Brown said this news was not a joke but a result of an owner’s meeting held two weeks ago.
“We wanted to have a one owner, one team, one vote,” Brown said. “Jim Davis, who has owned four teams, elected he wanted to just run the Dallas Rattlers. That left Florida, Charlotte, and Ohio to not operate in 2019.”
While the release announced the contraction of three teams for the season that begins on May 31, it also added that league would like to “focus on expansion in strategic markets with the goal of establishing Eastern and Western conferences.”
Brown said he hoped the league could return to Ohio and Florida, but having only one owner for each team, resulting in one vote during owner’s meetings, was necessary in order to expand.
“We need to be in more markets. We need to geographically be more diverse,” Brown said. “Having one owner, one team, one vote makes it easier for us to be able to acquire new investors and owners because you have a level playing field. If you have an owner with multiple votes, you don’t have congruence.”
When asked how Brown communicated the news to players and coaches of the Machine, Launch, and Hounds, he said he has had individual conversations with some, but has not been able to “canvas the whole multitude of players.” He said there was a communication plan the league has employed.
“It’s not an exact science,” he said, “but we’re confident we’ve employed the right communication plan.”
Team statements released on both the Machine and Launch websites say, “This announcement comes as a terrible surprise to all of us,” and, “We share in the incredible disappointment in this upsetting news with all those that have supported us over the years.”
Team officials and coaches went to social media to reach out to the fans.
It has been an honor to help build @CharlotteMLL. Jim Davis @newbalance, Thank You for the opportunity. Will work to come back swinging in 2021 under new ownership and updated Stadium.
— Wade Leaphart (@Leaphart3) April 1, 2019
Team Statement: https://t.co/rOPAPPYIBv pic.twitter.com/fmSqRERodA
— Ohio Machine (@MachineMLL) April 1, 2019
One of the changes the league made in previous month was to lengthen the schedule, giving every team an additional two games, meaning each team would play the other eight teams twice. While there are three fewer teams, Brown said, “All the home dates stay the same.”
When asked to elaborate on what the loss of three teams does to the schedule, Brown said: “All the home dates stay the same. We’re still going from May 31 to October. There will be more bye weeks. Teams will play each other on consecutive weeks. … We’ve been able to mix and match based upon facilities and venue ability. We may have some more bye weeks, but we’ve been able to make it work.”
He did not comment on how the league would be replacing holes in the schedule where someone was supposed to host Florida, Charlotte, or Ohio.
As for the players on those teams, Brown said a draft would be held later in the month where they will be selected by one of the existing teams and then participate in training camp.
Over the course of the offseason, the league owners agreed to increase the salary cap and add one player to the Game Day Active Roster. In a press release from September, the league said these changes were designed to invest in its players.
Even though there are now fewer teams, which means fewer total roster spots, Brown said allowing these players to be drafted by the remaining teams and participate in training camp still gives them an opportunity to make a roster.
“We understand there are fewer teams,” Brown said. “That’s the nature of the beast. We’re giving them a chance to earn a spot on another team. There’s only so much we can control here. We’re trying to be as responsive as we can to the situation.”
Brown said he will remain positive and pointed out the investment its owners have made in the league this offseason. He referred to Brendan Kelly of the Bayhawks, Rob Hale of the Cannons, and Andre Gudger of the Atlanta Blaze, and how each of those teams have invested in updating stadiums they will be playing in.
Brown said this news would be beneficial for the league in the long run.
“If you recall, the MLS went through this in the early 2000s,” Brown said. “We’ve obviously got to look at what the best opportunity is for our players and our owners and fans. We’re interested in expanding to the west coast, Sunbelt and et cetera. We put together a long-range plan and put that to the owners in August. These outcomes fit within this plan. I have to look at this in positive in terms of the runway it creates for the growth of MLL and, in turn, the growth of the game of lacrosse.”