Lacrosse fans lost more than just the season this year. They lost hope that the game can become “the next major” any time soon. Generations of fans have harbored hope that lacrosse would grow into the next big thing, joining football, baseball, basketball and hockey as the big sports in … [Read more...]
Jaffe: In wake of merger, what comes next matters most
Now we can really find out what’s next for professional lacrosse. In 2018, when the launch of the Premier Lacrosse League was announced, everyone talked about what a second professional field lacrosse league run by the game’s best players – rather than a group of investors – would mean for the … [Read more...]
Jaffe: More than the Olympics, lacrosse needs the Iroquois
The world of lacrosse includes the Iroquois Nationals, prominently. It always has, and always should. It’s not just because the Haudenosaunee have been among the best in the world forever, but because lacrosse is The Creator’s Game, given to the Iroquois, who shared it with the world. That alone … [Read more...]
Jaffe: In our great sport, silence is no longer an option
Editor's note: This column appears in the Summer issue of New England Lacrosse Journal. This is a story I have not told since the week it happened during the summer of 1982. I remember it like yesterday; it has bothered me ever since. I was a 20-year-old college lacrosse player who got his … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Lost season of 2020 will be felt for years
The unplayed lacrosse season of 2020 won’t make the record or history books, but it could be the biggest force in the sport for the next four or five years. Right now, a lot of the fallout remains speculation, as is appropriate because there is no timeline for when life returns to normal as the … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Too much of a good thing? No, just too early
I woke up on a late February weekend and flipped on the television to what should have been a sight for sore eyes. It was a college lacrosse report, a pre-game show for a big early-season match-up that was about to air. I’m willing to admit that big games sometimes derail my weekends. I stop doing … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Parents should shut up and just cheer
As a new lacrosse season approaches, here’s the thing that many of you most want to hear: Children who are athletes into high school (and beyond) make more money than the average person over the rest of their lives. Your wishful thinking — that the success you foster on the field translates to … [Read more...]
Shortage of officials becomes a growing problem in New England
It has never been easier to find a lacrosse game to play in, but it’s never been harder to find referees and officials to work those games. That paradox of fantastic growth of the sport with an unprecedented decline in the pool of qualified officials has put lacrosse at an unusual crossroads, a … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Abuse of referees is a growing problem lacrosse can’t ignore
Much of the talk around lacrosse this year has been about the future, with the advent of a new professional league, upcoming world championships in box lacrosse and more. But I caught a glimpse of the future near the end of the spring season that has me excited, but that should have players, fans, … [Read more...]
Looking for PLL players to root for? Turn to old Cannons stars
The Boston Cannons don’t play in the Premier Lacrosse League, but many of their former stars do. With the Premier Lacrosse League having opened its touring season in New England at Gillette Stadium on June 1-2 — but not returning to the region in 2019 — pro lacrosse fans might decide who to cheer … [Read more...]
PLL debut at Gillette: What worked and what can be improved
FOXBORO, Mass. – The past, present and future of lacrosse were on display the first weekend of June at Gillette Stadium. You found them in the parking lot, on the field and in the stands, respectively, as the Premier Lacrosse League opened its first-ever touring season, a professional lacrosse … [Read more...]
As pro landscape changes, Boston Cannons give something to root for
The first weekend of June, New England finally got to experience what professional lacrosse is supposed to be all about. It didn’t happen at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro — where the Premier Lacrosse League made its much-ballyhooed debut — but rather a 20-mile drive away, at Veterans Memorial Stadium … [Read more...]
