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
Wildcat Stadium at the University of New Hampshire is one of several empty lacrosse fields across the region this spring. {NELJ file) 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 … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Too much of a good thing? No, just too early
Jakob Phaup #37 of Syracuse and Malcolm Feeney #35 of Colgate battle for a face-off. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)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 … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Parents should shut up and just cheer
Parents should stay out of the way of the coaches when it comes to providing feedback to players. (Rich Miyara)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 … [Read more...]
Shortage of officials becomes a growing problem in New England
US Lacrosse saw a decline in officials by more than 1,000 in 2018. (Getty Images)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 … [Read more...]
Jaffe: Abuse of referees is a growing problem lacrosse can’t ignore
A ref sets a faceoff in the 2018 Division 2 final between Merrimack and Saint Leo. (Ben Mackey/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)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 … [Read more...]
Looking for PLL players to root for? Turn to old Cannons stars
Adam Ghitelman plays goalie for the Archers. (Evan Scales/New England Lacrosse Journal)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 — … [Read more...]
PLL debut at Gillette: What worked and what can be improved
Marcus Holman of PLL Archers goes airborne. (Evan Scales/New England Lacrosse Journal)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 … [Read more...]
As pro landscape changes, Boston Cannons give something to root for
Boston Cannons head coach Sean Quirk addresses his team. (James Cirrone)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 … [Read more...]
PLL or MLL? New England fans don’t have to pick just one
Former Cannon Justin Turri is one of the players who jumped to the new PLL. (Major League Lacrosse)For most lacrosse fans, Memorial Day weekend — when the NCAA decides its collegiate champions — is the most exciting time of the year. This year, however, the most interesting time — especially for … [Read more...]
Enjoying longevity in lacrosse
Chuck Jaffe, columnist for New England Lacrosse Journal, playing box lacrosse. (courtesy photo)Early this month, I’ll start my last game as the regular goalie on my primary lacrosse team. It’s not that I can’t hold up my end any more, but I’ve always said that I would step away from a team before … [Read more...]
Lacrosse on the Olympics stage? Maybe, but not as you know it
The American flag before the 2018 national title game between Duke and Yale. (Larry French/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)At the end of November, the International Olympic Committee officially recognized the sport of lacrosse. In spite of the rhetoric that came out of that news, lacrosse fans need to … [Read more...]
