Lacrosse

This article is about the team sport. For other uses, see Lacrosse (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Lacrosse
men's lacrosse player running with the ball
Men's field lacrosse game between North Carolina and Duke
Highest governing bodyWorld Lacrosse
Nicknames
  • The Medicine Game
  • The Creator's Game
[1]
First played12th century, modified by Europeans in the 17th century
Characteristics
ContactYes
TypeTeam sport, stick sport, ball sport
EquipmentLacrosse stick and ball in addition to various body armor or pads. Different protective gear for different versions of the game
VenueOutdoor lacrosse field or indoor lacrosse rink
Presence
OlympicMen's field at the Summer Olympics in 1904 and 1908.
Demonstrated in 1928, 1932 and 1948
Men's and women's sixes in 2028
World GamesWomen's field in 2017
Men's and women's sixes in 2022

Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century.[2][3][4][5] The game was extensively modified by European colonists, reducing the violence, to create its current collegiate and professional form.[6]

Players use the head of the lacrosse stick to carry, pass, catch, and shoot the ball into the goal. The sport has five versions that have different sticks, fields, rules and equipment: field lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse, lacrosse sixes and intercrosse. The men's games, field lacrosse (outdoor) and box lacrosse (indoor), are contact sports and all players wear protective gear: helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, and elbow pads.[7] The women's game is played outdoors and does not allow body contact but does allow stick to stick contact.[8] The only protective gear required for women players is eyegear, while goalies wear helmets and protective pads. Lacrosse sixes is played by both men and women on a smaller field, and is the most common version at multi-sport events. Intercrosse is a mixed-gender non-contact sport that uses an all-plastic stick and a softer ball.[9]

The modern sport is governed by World Lacrosse and is the only international sport organization to recognize First Nations bands and Native American tribes as sovereign nations.[10] The organization hosts the World Lacrosse Championship for men, the Women's Lacrosse World Cup, the World Indoor Lacrosse Championship for box lacrosse, and the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships for both men and women.[11] Each is held every four years.[11] Lacrosse at the Summer Olympics has been contested at two editions of the Summer Olympic Games, 1904 and 1908.[12][13][14] It will be contested at the 2028 Olympic Games in the lacrosse sixes format.[15] It was also held as a demonstration event at the 1928, 1932, and 1948 Summer Olympics.[16][17]

  1. ^ "The Creator's Game: Native People Created Lacrosse Yet Now Strive to Play the Sport in International Arenas". Magazine of Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian. Spring 2021. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Britannica Educational Publishing (2015). Lacrosse and Its Greatest Players. Britannica Educational Publishing. pp. 10–12. ISBN 978-1-62275-593-6.
  3. ^ Vennum, Thomas. American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. (Smithsonian Institution, 1994) SBN 978-1560983026.
  4. ^ Liss, Howard. Lacrosse (Funk & Wagnalls, 1970) p. 13.
  5. ^ "The Native American Origins of Lacrosse". July 12, 2023. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  6. ^ Thomas Vennum (2008). American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. JHU Press. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-8018-8764-2.
  7. ^ "FIL Rules of Men's Field Lacrosse, 2019-2020" (PDF). The Federation of International Lacrosse. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Francois Fortin (2000). Sports: The Complete Visual Reference. Firefly Books. pp. 229–. ISBN 978-1-55297-807-8.
  9. ^ Chris Hayhurst (2005). Lacrosse: Rules, Tips, Strategy, and Safety. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 23–31. ISBN 978-1-4042-0183-5.
  10. ^ Stewart, Megan (October 10, 2013). "Through Lacrosse, Empowerment for First Nations". The Tyee. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "About World Lacrosse". World Lacrosse. Archived from the original on July 15, 2019. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  12. ^ Fisher, Donald M. (March 14, 2002). Lacrosse: A History of the Game. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801869389. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ "STX Blog - 7 Reasons Why Lacrosse Should be an Olympic Sport". Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  14. ^ Nathan, Daniel A. (August 1, 2016). Baltimore Sports: Stories from Charm City. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 9781682260050. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Google Books.
  15. ^ "IOC Approves Lacrosse for 2028 Summer Olympics". www.usalaxmagazine.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "Lacrosse Programme" (PDF). Wsyacy.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  17. ^ Pietramala, David G.; Grauer, Neil A. (May 17, 2006). Lacrosse: Technique and Tradition, The Second Edition of the Bob Scott Classic. JHU Press. ISBN 9780801883712. Retrieved December 2, 2016 – via Google Books.