August 8, 2010
The LXM Pro Tour is mainstreaming lacrosse
by Phillip Shore/
The LXM Pro Tour is mainstreaming lacrosse. But is it hurting MLL?
As Major League Lacrosse, the top outdoor professional lacrosse league in the United States, celebrates its 10th season, another field lacrosse entertainment opportunity is just starting to get the attention of lacrosse fans.
The LXM Pro Tour is a traveling lacrosse experience that combines lacrosse exhibition games featuring professional players with a full concert immediately following the contest.
It’s all about “mainstreaming” both the sport and the music, bringing professional lacrosse to new and different areas while touting the musical skills of up-and-coming artists.
While virtually everyone agrees that the idea is unique to the sports world and interesting to watch as it develops, one stipulation has created a lot of controversy between LXM and the MLL. Contracts signed with Major League Lacrosse forbid participation in other paid lacrosse events—with select exceptions—forcing field lacrosse stars to make a choice between LXM and MLL.
The result saw stars Kyle Harrison, Joe Walters, and original Boston Cannons player Michael Watson leave the decade-old league for the new opportunity. The budding rivalry between the two sides may have been the biggest story in Boston, where hometown hero Sean Morris was one of three Boston Cannons attackmen to bolt for LXM. Morris’ move, along with the departures of Matt Alrich and Brandon Corp, left the Cannons having to revamp their attack before the start of the 2010 season; Morris and Alrich combined for 66 points in 2009, and were two of the Cannons’ top four scorers.
“It’s a chance to do something different, a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said former Johns Hopkins star Kyle Harrison, one of the founders of the tour.
The tour has completed two out of eight total stops scheduled from November 21, 2009 through April 16, 2011, with a late August game/concert planned for Philadelphia. LXM’s website lists the event attractions, which include clinics for kids by the professionals, Hollywood casting calls by Sports Studio, then the showcase game featuring “40 of the world’s best players,” and a post-game concert with recent performances from bands like Carolina Liar and 3OH!3.
“I’m very, very excited about it. I think it’s what the sport needs,” Morris said. “As we’ve seen in the MLL, [lacrosse] can’t sustain 10 teams. We can’t sustain six teams; Chicago [the MLL’s Machine] is being a travelling road show this year. We definitely need to see pro lacrosse succeed, but in what avenue?”
With players essentially defecting from MLL to LXM, a rivalry between the two lacrosse organizations has been the talk among fans – who also are behind the notion that players were bitter and forced a type of mutiny – but Harrison is quick to point out that isn’t the case.
“If you look at the event model we didn’t want to compete with the MLL. We had every intention of doing both,” said Harrison, who last played in the MLL for the Denver Outlaws in 2009. “I’m not making it us versus them. I legitimately enjoyed my time in the MLL. I’m still very close with those guys.”
All of the lacrosse events on the tour fall outside the MLL schedule, which stretches from mid-May to August. Also with events in Los Angeles, Austin, Philadelphia, Jacksonville, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Atlanta, none of the stops is in a city with an MLL franchise.
While the plan was to avoid direct competition, allowing the players to compete in both venues, a deal with MLL could not be reached, forcing players to make a difficult choice. There also seems to be a bit of “spurned lover” syndrome coming from the MLL commissioner David Gross.
“There were two guys that went that we didn’t want to lose,” Gross said. “We didn’t want to lose Joe Walters and Steven Brooks, they were young stars in our league. But if they thought that was their better business decision, fine. I haven’t heard one fan ask me where those guys are.”
While players may get flack for their decision to leave the league, heavier criticism is being thrown at the idea of showing fans top lacrosse with an exhibition match. Critics question how playing in a game with rotating rosters, no statistics, and no championship on the line can result in the most competitive, high-level lacrosse needed to attract the casual fan.
Harrison, however, doesn’t think it’s a problem.
“We have a bunch of competitive guys. Whether it’s the MLL championship, LXM, or pick-up basketball, we have competitive guys,” Harrison said. “You’re gonna’ tell me Joe Walters, Brett Hughes, Sean Morris, they aren’t competitive? Yeah, OK.”
One thing the tour does provide players that MLL can’t offer during the season is flexibility. Most players work a second job and have other commitments outside of lacrosse; playing in the MLL takes a large chunk of time and focus from daily life.
“It was an extremely difficult decision,” Morris said. “It was both mental and physical. Coming out of [indoor season with the Boston Blazers], I’ve been banged up a little. I’ve gone four years now playing indoor and outdoor…it’s kind of been rolling right underneath that I’ve never had a summer since I got out of college.”
LXM events are months apart, as opposed to MLL games every weekend along with at least one team practice. Players can fly in for the weekend of the LXM event without the rigorous time commitment necessary to play in the MLL.
“Guys that work on Wall Street or in 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. jobs, they can come for a weekend,” Harrison said. “It isn’t the constant travel.” The LXM tour also is an alternative for older players who want to stay active, but who now have family commitments, as well as those players who simply live far away from the MLL’s cities. Gross recognizes that issue as a long-standing problem for retaining stars in the MLL, and is more understanding.
“Some players decide they can’t play a full season for us right now, then fine. Go do that,” he said “If they change their minds a year from now, we’ll welcome them back. No big deal.”
With two events in the books, Harrison says he has gotten good feedback from fans, especially about the interaction between players and spectators. He acknowledges that there is still room to grow.
“It’s not even near perfect, but nothing ever really is,” he said. “In Philadelphia, the play will be at the highest level yet. In Orange County, MLL guys were still under contract, and in Austin indoor guys were still in season. It’s just about tightening it up.”
LXM is in its infant stages. It’s too early to tell what has come from the tour and what to expect with the remaining fixtures. Harrison does anticipate a bright future though.
“We plan on going on and on and making it bigger,” he said. “We have no intentions of stopping.”
