A competition challenge for the MLL

For 18 years, Major League Lacrosse has been the standard bearer for all other professional outdoor lacrosse leagues in the world.

In order for that to continue, MLL owners realized this year that they needed to come together to make some significant changes to improve the product for the fans and the players.

A new schedule that runs June through September, an expansion of the season and the roster limit, a new collective-bargaining agreement that features a 51 percent increase in the salary cap — in which some players can make up to an 88 percent raise over the previous maximum salaries — and an extensive rebranding initiative are all ways the league is hoping to retain the top players in the sport, while fending off the challenge of the new Premier Lacrosse League.

"We knew we had to do a deep dive into all facets of the business and the game," Boston Cannons team president Ian Frenette said. "In order to figure out what makes sense we had to ask a lot of questions. We wound up making some big changes to take care of our players and continue to build the entertainment experience for our fans. We have to continue to evolve as well."

One change that should benefit players, fans and, ultimately, the franchises’ ability to turn a profit, is the long-discussed shift of the season out of the spring window in which it competes directly with both collegiate lacrosse and the indoor National Lacrosse League.