As I watched lax powerhouse Syracuse put a dagger the size on a long stick into the hearts of the Cornell Big Red in yesterday's thrilling overtime national championship game, a thought came to mind. Rugby, a sport I currently play, and lacrosse, a sport I used to play and still love, are incredibly similar...two underground, off the mainstream radar sports who take a backseat to the Fab Four (football, baseball, basketball and hockey) in the minds of most Americans. What nearly makes them the Olsen Twins is how each dominates a particular geographic region in this country, but continues to struggle in its quest to expand elsewhere. Who dominates the rugby pitch...Cal, BYU, San Diego State, St. Mary's, Utah...who excels with the lacrosse stick...Virginia, Duke, Princeton, North Carolina, John's Hopkins and of course, yesterday's New York tandem.
What I find most ironic is that while rugby rules the West and lax controls the East, both sports attract similar athletes...quick, rugged, often unshaven, preppy and some would say privileged, polo-shirt wearing young white men. Both sports have been around for centuries...any wonder that the Ivy Leaguers tend to excel in each? The sports are often handed down from father to son and each also combines a bit of hooliganism...no one is ever going to accuse a rugger or a lacrosse player of running too low a tab at the local watering hole. And I don't think I'm crazy in comparing a fly-half to a middie or a winger to an attacker. But that's where the similarities end.
While both sports look to expand their presence in the United States, rugby's eyes go overseas while lax remains domestic. Since the beginning of this decade, lacrosse has done a phenomenal job in bringing its sport to the Left Coast...the creation of more collegiate programs, the recruiting of West Coast players by Syracuse and other eastern elites and the proposed expansion of Major League Lacrosse in places like Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Salt Lake City have all been a result of their dedication. Meanwhile, rugby continues to mire in the global rankings behind the likes of Canada, Russia and Romania, and appears to remain steadfast in its approach to import last names like Sika, Moeakiola and Enosa to its national cause. Now certainly rugby has a vastly greater worldwide presence than lacrosse so maybe it's only natural that the sport's masterminds look to New Zealand and Australia rather than New York and Arizona, but if the US Eagles ever do make some noise in the Rugby World Cup, won't we be looking for Johnson's, Smith's and White's?
Perhaps most fitting about lacrosse's annual Memorial Day Madness is that it occurs on a weekend when we salute all those who have and continue to fight for this great land. But here's where I find an additional dose of irony...nearly all of those who have battled under the red, white and blue are immigrants...lacrosse meanwhile, is native to our country.
Fostered by the cat-gut strings and wooden shafts of the Native Americans, lax truly is our national pastime.
What I find most ironic is that while rugby rules the West and lax controls the East, both sports attract similar athletes...quick, rugged, often unshaven, preppy and some would say privileged, polo-shirt wearing young white men. Both sports have been around for centuries...any wonder that the Ivy Leaguers tend to excel in each? The sports are often handed down from father to son and each also combines a bit of hooliganism...no one is ever going to accuse a rugger or a lacrosse player of running too low a tab at the local watering hole. And I don't think I'm crazy in comparing a fly-half to a middie or a winger to an attacker. But that's where the similarities end.
While both sports look to expand their presence in the United States, rugby's eyes go overseas while lax remains domestic. Since the beginning of this decade, lacrosse has done a phenomenal job in bringing its sport to the Left Coast...the creation of more collegiate programs, the recruiting of West Coast players by Syracuse and other eastern elites and the proposed expansion of Major League Lacrosse in places like Seattle, Portland, San Diego and Salt Lake City have all been a result of their dedication. Meanwhile, rugby continues to mire in the global rankings behind the likes of Canada, Russia and Romania, and appears to remain steadfast in its approach to import last names like Sika, Moeakiola and Enosa to its national cause. Now certainly rugby has a vastly greater worldwide presence than lacrosse so maybe it's only natural that the sport's masterminds look to New Zealand and Australia rather than New York and Arizona, but if the US Eagles ever do make some noise in the Rugby World Cup, won't we be looking for Johnson's, Smith's and White's?
Perhaps most fitting about lacrosse's annual Memorial Day Madness is that it occurs on a weekend when we salute all those who have and continue to fight for this great land. But here's where I find an additional dose of irony...nearly all of those who have battled under the red, white and blue are immigrants...lacrosse meanwhile, is native to our country.
Fostered by the cat-gut strings and wooden shafts of the Native Americans, lax truly is our national pastime.
True words my friend!
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