Lacrosse: The Fastest Game on Two feet

“Lacrosse: Turning violent personalities to world class athletes”   – unknown

I grew up in the South.  As such, I was not exposed to the game of lacrosse until I was well past my prime in terms of personally participating in contact sports.  By that time, merely giving serious thought to playing the game of lacrosse would have been detrimental to my health and general well being.

I often find myself wishing that had not been the case.  Given even half a chance, I would have eagerly been out there on the field engaged in the non-stop action and controlled mayhem that is the game of lacrosse.

I know of no other sport in which one is allowed to run up and down the field of play while whacking one’s opponent with a stick …… without being immediately penalized for doing so.  To my mind, it just doesn’t get any better than that!

I was first introduced to the game of lacrosse through my work as a sports photographer.  Once I began covering local college and high school games, I immediately became a huge fan of the sport.  It’s the kind of event that Sigmund Freud was thinking about when he said, “Without spectator sports, all societies would be neurotic.”  Or words to that effect.
I’m often asked, “What’s your favorite sport to photograph?”  I believe that most people assume that my reply will be, “Football.”  Football is a close second, but without a doubt, lacrosse is my favorite.  That is, as long as I’m photographing the Men’s game.

The Women’s version of the sport, if one can call it that, is in dire need of a major rules revision which will eliminate the need for referees to halt play every time the action on the field is about to peak.  Highly competitive women athletes who play the game must have extremely high thresholds for dealing with frustration.  Either that, or they might find themselves in need of Dr. Freud’s services.  But that’s a story for another day.

If you’re not familiar with lacrosse, I encourage you to take in a (men’s) game at a local high school or college.  If you’re a sports fan, you’re not likely to be disappointed.

OM