Lacrosse is a rapidly growing sport throughout the United States and the entire world. It is the oldest team sport in North America and its origins trace back to the Indian nations of mid-America. In many Native American communities, the sport was used as a ritual competition among tribes to solve conflicts and prepare the men for battle.
Today, the sport of lacrosse is growing in terms of the number of youth, high school, and college level programs throughout the country. In fact, there are only ten states which do not have a high school boys league and only 15 states which do not feature high school girls lacrosse. Just 20 years ago, lacrosse was almost non existent in areas outside of Baltimore, Long Island, and upstate New York.
Lacrosse has grown in national popularity thanks to the success of the collegiate programs nationwide and the fan interest they have generated. Granted, there have been other factors helping to spread the game of lacrosse to wider and more diverse audiences, but the idea of lacrosse on a grand stage in front of a national television audience has certainly helped.
This year, six universities with storied lacrosse programs and great tradition will take part in the First Annual Big City Classic, which will occur this upcoming Saturday, April 4th, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. Filling NFL-sized stadiums for NCAA Division I Lacrosse Games has not been a problem in the past, as indicated by last year’s remarkable attendance number of 48,970 for the Division I Championship Game in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Last year’s Division I Champion, Syracuse, will square off against Princeton in the 2:30 p.m. game, followed by Hofstra and Delaware at 5:00 p.m. The day will begin play at 12:00 noon, featuring a great game between ACC Conference rivals Virginia and North Carolina. In terms of rankings, Virginia, Princeton, and Syracuse are rated #1, #3, and #5 respectively, according to the website, Laxpower.com. It should be a very exciting Saturday of lacrosse action in the New York City metropolitan area, as all three game will be televised on ESPNU, which is available to Time Warner cable subscribers in Manhattan and throughout the United States. For more information, please go to the official website of the Big City Classic:
