sportstyle

Inside The Lacrosse Numbers According to the SFIA's Lacrosse Single Sport Report, of the 1.9 million lacrosse participants in the U.S., nearly 60 percent are male. Of those 1.9 million, 856,000 are considered core participants (playing 13 or more days a year). Of those 856,000 core participants, 58 percent are male; 62 percent are between the ages of six and 17; and 56 percent come from a household whose annual income is at least $100,000 a year. The largest geographic concentration (27 percent) of these core participants is in the Middle Atlantic section (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia) of the U.S. FUN FACT Beginning in 2027, one school-related or player-identifying name, such as a school's name, nickname, logo, mascot and/or team member's name, will be allowed on the team jersey. L acrosse is an interesting sport in the U.S. It's a sport with a long history of being played in North America, but it's still experiencing growing pains. Fortunately, lacrosse is a sport which is on the rise and growing in popularity with males and females, but its roots in North America, specifically in Canada, date back well before the U.S. became an independent country in 1776. For instance, lacrosse was played by a group of Huron Indians in under Bay, Ontario back in 1636. Fast forward to 1877 when New York University became the first U.S. college to form a lacrosse team. Two years later in 1879, the U.S. National Amateur Lacrosse Association was founded. And lacrosse was an Olympic sport during the Summer Olympics in 1904 and in 1908. Lacrosse was then dropped as an Olympic sport aer 1908, but it was played as an exhibition sport at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games. Fortunately, lacrosse has been reinstated as an Olympic sport for the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Lacrosse is a year-round activity in Florida, which keeps teams and individuals walking in the door at Lacrosse Unlimited in Boca Raton. "We sell everything from head-to-toe in lacrosse," says manager Lew Hamilton. "We are selling to local recreation leagues, travel teams, high school teams, college teams and professional lacrosse players," he reports. "We have individuals walking in to buy specific items, teams are buying through our team division and we also have a strong online business for customers that don't live nearby." Because of the recent surge in the playing popularity of lacrosse in the greater Wilmington, DE area, Al's Sporting Goods is looking to restock its shelves with lacrosse helmets, balls, sticks, gloves and shoes for the Spring 2025 season. "Lacrosse has now become popular here in Wilmington, so I'm planning to order equipment to sell," acknowledges owner Bob Hart. In Florida, salesman Joel Dunn at Baker's Sporting Goods says that lacrosse coaches, players and parents are very particular when it comes to the right brand for the right piece of equipment. "In order to sell the sport, it helps to know the sport," said Dunn. n TEAM / SPECIALTY SPORTS LACROSSE STICKS IT OUT sportstylemag.com • sportstyle September/October 2024 • 35

• Cover