• The Evolution of Lacrosse
• Men vs Women’s Lacrosse

The game of lacrosse is historically one of the oldest sports in North America and now all across the world, this game is being played. Ironically, even though it may be one of the oldest sports in this country, its history is also overlooked. Not many people know the strong cultural history, roots, or how the game was invented. This lack of knowledge sparked my inspiration to enlighten others about lacrosse along with how the game has evolved to what it is today. After reading this, I hope people walk away with understanding lacrosse and its history along with the origin of the game.

Origin/History of lacrosse

Lacrosse originated in North America invented by Indigenous Native Americans. This sport dates back to 1100 A.D when it was created by the Haudenosaunee Nations. These Nations were spread all across New York and Canada. Lacrosse is not just a sport to the Haudenosaunee people but it displays many of their culture and traditional ways. Long ago lacrosse was played with 100 men, sometimes 1,000, and the game was used to settle any disagreements between the nations. This game is very sacred to indigenous people because it was a gift given to them by the creator, which is their greater spirit who created all things.  This game was to be played for the creator’s enjoyment and also used as a medicine game. Meaning this game was used to heal the native communities and bring their people together during troubling times. Lacrosse was to teach the nations how to come together and create a powerful bond between each other. Lacrosse also teaches individual life lessons to individuals. This game requires teamwork, leadership, sacrifice, and commitment. All important lessons that can be used on and off the field to better oneself. 

The Evolution of Lacrosse

Over time lacrosse has grown into a new game. The version of lacrosse that is played today is different from what was played long ago by the Haudenosaunee people. Originally this game’s purpose was cultural but now it is played for competitive reasons. Today’s variation of the game is played by both men and women, whereas originally it was only played by men. As decades went on lacrosse started to get noticed by the outside world. Rapidly the game started to spread across the country and eventually, rules started developing because of how physical it can get at times. The number of players changed to only having twelve people on the field instead of hundreds. Then players started to wear equipment for protection. Along with the purpose and rules of the game being altered, the lacrosse stick itself was also greatly modified over the years. 

Haudenosaunee men would play with a large wooden stick that had a triangle-shaped pocket. From wooden sticks to now using metal shafts with plastic heads and instead of leather stringing we now have mesh stringing. The lacrosse stick has evolved just as much as the game itself into a new form for both the men’s and women’s lacrosse game. 

Men vs Women’s Lacrosse 

The game of lacrosse is such physical contact and competitive sport for both the men’s and women’s games. Each game is entertaining to watch but there are numerous differences that many may not know about. What makes Women’s lacrosse different from men’s is the equipment. In men’s lacrosse, they play with a helmet, pads, and gloves. Along with that equipment, men have different sticks than women. Their sticks have a deeper pocket and the defenders play with a longer stick. Women’s lacrosse is more of a finesse sport. You only play with a mouthguard and goggles. There are more whistles and rules in the women’s game for prevention of injuries. Along with the rules, the pocket of the stick is tighter than a men’s pocket. A big difference is the start of the game between the two, which is their face-off or draws; this determines who will have possession of the ball and occurs after any goal is made. Men will do their face-off battling on the ground while women will do theirs competing while standing up. Whoever has the quickest reaction time and gets possession of the ball will win the face-off. Another difference between the two games is the number of players allowed on the field. For men you play with nine field players and a goalie. In Women’s lacrosse, you play eleven field players and a goalie. The two games are a bit similar in how they are played by the players but have different structures. One huge similarity is getting the ball in the back of the net and to score more goals than your competitors.

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