No one knows which Native American tribe invented lacrosse, but it is the oldest sport in America. In the official international version of lacrosse, each player has a stick with a netted basket at its tip for scooping, carrying and throwing the ball. Historically, some tribes considered the game practice for warfare while others viewed it as a religious ritual. Today, it is an increasingly popular children's sport.
Playing the Game
The national governing organization of the sport, U.S. Lacrosse, says the game can be compared with a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. Players can only touch the ball with their sticks. Size isn't important in lacrosse, but coordination, speed and agility are essential. Lacrosse involves long sprints up and down an outdoor playing field or indoor court. You have to be ready to stop suddenly, dodge opponents and pass the ball to teammates who try to hurl it into the opposition's end goal net.
Lacrosse and the French
Lacrosse is connected to the tribes of southeastern Canada and America's northeastern states. It was first observed by French missionaries in the Great Lakes region during the early 1600s. Tribes played on fields from 1 to 15 miles long in games that sometimes involved hundreds of players.Whereas the northeastern Iriquois called it "the Creator's game" and the southeastern Cherokee named it "little brother of war," French missionary Jean de Brebeuf referred to it as la crosse possibly in reference to the players' sticks being shaped similar to a bishop's walking stick called a crozier.
Standardizing Game Rules
U.S. Lacrosse says Canadian dentist W. George Beers standardized the game's rules in 1867. These included setting playing field dimensions, limiting the number of players and specifying use of a rubber ball. Beers also published a book "Lacrosse," which contained detailed accounts of the Iriquois Nation's version of the game. The stick used today is most similar to that of the Iriquois game.
Growing Popularity
When Queen Victoria viewed a lacrosse competition, she declared it "very pretty to watch," according to Phyllis McIntosh in the "English Teaching Forum" magazine. This inspired the first girl's lacrosse teams in the 1890s. Today, girls' lacrosse is booming. It is the version of the sport most similar to the original Native American game, which involved less physical contact than modern boys' and men's lacrosse.
These days, lacrosse outpaces Little League baseball in rate of growth in some areas. "The Wall Street Journal" cites 42 percent growth in children's lacrosse from 2006 to 2011 in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. During that time, Little League participation declined there by 9 percent.
Iriquois Champions
Lacrosse remains important to Native American tribes. In 2011, the men's Haudenosaunee National Lacrosse Team -- also known as the Iriquois Nationals -- won second place at the international World Indoor Lacrosse Championships. Iriquois women also compete internationally in lacrosse.
References
- U.S. Lacrosse; History; Thomas Vennum Jr.
- U.S. Lacrosse: About the Sport -- Overview
- U.S. Department of State; English Teaching Forum; Lacrosse -- Inspiring Feats; Phyllis McIntosh; March 2010
- "The Wall Street Journal"; Lacrosse Muscles Up; Chris Herring; June 2011
- Onondaga Nation; Haudenosaunee -- World Silver Medalist; Tsadeyohdi; June 2011
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