Lacrosse: America’s Game
60 minutes to play, a lifetime to remember. The fastest game on two feet. Go hard or go home. Risk everything, fear nothing. Lacrosse is known nationwide for its rich history, somewhat violent nature, loyal fans, and skilled players. Lacrosse was the first sport ever invented on American soil; it was here before European explorers set foot in North America. It was invented and found its roots in various Native American and Canadian Indian tribes. Lacrosse is currently the fastest-growing sport in the U.S., and the fourth-fastest growing game worldwide. Although modern-day lacrosse has its fair share of trials, tribulations, and controversies, it is a fundamental part of American history, and has shaped the creation…show more content… Tucker Sr., creator of STX. Tucker joined the family business, Wm. T Burnett and Co., in 1951. He was an all-American lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University. Tucker realized the need in the lacrosse industry for a mass-produced head that could further spread the game. Previously, lacrosse sticks had been hand crafted from a single piece of wood. This was a very time-consuming process, and meant that no one stick was exactly the same. Every stick produced had a different weight balance, or a different weight altogether. Leftie sticks were very hard to come by, so if a left-handed player’s stick broke, the only readily available replacement was a righty stick, which proved difficult for lefties. Tucker and a few former lacrosse players turned business partners Joseph Sollers Jr., Bill Crawford, and Rolan Fracalassi assisted Tucker in brainstorming the first synthetic lacrosse head. In 1967, they created a successful head, and applied for a patent that same year. The following years were spent building prototypes for mass production. STX was founded in 1970 in Baltimore, Maryland, when Tucker made the first mass-produced head composed of synthetic materials. The head’s first introduction to the world was in a college lacrosse game between West Point and the US Naval Academy in 1968. By 1971, college lacrosse’s first national championship featured only STX lacrosse heads. (Garcia) With stronger, more…show more content… There have been many changes made to make the game safer and more accessible to the masses. A major controversy among the lacrosse community is the question of contact; how much is appropriate, how much is necessary, and when it is necessary. Men's lacrosse participants receive an average of 40-46.6 concussions per 100,000 athletic exposures*, and women receive an average of 31-35 concussions per 100,000 athletic exposure. This goes to show that controversies over contact are well founded. Changes have been made to the game to account for safety. In 2014, the US Lacrosse Association revised the 5-yard checking rule (one can only check within 5 yards of the ball) to a 3-yard checking rule to avoid unnecessary injury and violent collisions. (LaxWiki) This change cut out a small portion of injuries, and more changes are being made to make the game safer. The NCAA safety committee ranked lacrosse in the top third safest sports. Another major issue in the lacrosse industry is the question of recruiting; how early is too early? Some colleges are asking players to pledge to a lacrosse program before playing a single high school lacrosse game. There are college recruiters at all major junior high school tournaments. Once players are recruited and have pledged to a college lacrosse program, they are expected to keep in peak physical and mental health, or they could lose their spot in the