Box Lacrosse: is it good or bad for field lacrosse?

[Troy Hood]

I'll agree with you on the announcers, Pig Pen. Toronto's last Champion's Cup win over Arizona was a well broadcast game with two solid personalities in the booth. Mike Emerick carried the play-by-play as well as he does for the Devils and Brian Shanahan is as knowledgeable a box color man as anyone.

This is no slight on VS. Thanks for carrying the game. I'd rather watch w/o sound and see it than not see it. However, Pig Pen makes a point. Let's get some quality people in the booth and on the bench. VS. puts a quality broadcast on the air for the NHL and the PBR. Let's see it for the NLL.

[Dulax31]

I will agree that any lacrosse is better then no lacrosse, but personally I do NOT like the NLL. I think they play it off more like a circus than a professional sport. They have music blasting at all times, and it just seems like a cheap production. This is just my opinion, I love the outdoor game, I just wish Minnesota would have a field team too so people in Minnesota know what real lacrosse is.

Is box beneficial to the field game? I believe it is. Having witnessed Team Canada's win in the World Games this summer, I can see how their combination of the best skills from box can translate well to the field game.
Field and box will remain distinct, as they should. However, they can benefit each other.

Troy, we all know that was a fluke!
What happen the last 6 world games in field? USA = Gold

[cjwilhelmi]

I will agree that any lacrosse is better then no lacrosse, but personally I do NOT like the NLL. I think they play it off more like a circus than a professional sport. They have music blasting at all times, and it just seems like a cheap production.

By your reasoning NBA games are a circus as well.

[Madlax16]

They are.

[BB]

I have to agree with Dulax31, there doesn't seem to be any flow to the box games, and the slashing, cross checking and fighting are a quick turn off. Especially to parents of young kids thinking about playing lacrosse. It doesn't show the respect and camraderie that field seems to have.

They are two different animals, personally I don't really enjoy watch boxla that much. If they went with two way players, instead of changing each shift, there may be a little more flow. either way, don't really like it and wish we had a field team.

There is definately an argument to be made that any lacrosse is better than no lacrosse though.

[PigPen]

They are.

yah but at least the clowns at Barnum and Bailey try to come into the crowd and kick your ass.

They are two different animals, personally I don't really enjoy watch boxla that much. If they went with two way players, instead of changing each shift, there may be a little more flow. either way, don't really like it and wish we had a field team.

Watch any Buffalo games the past three years or Toronto in the early 2000's?-granted they are the exception to the norm. But they definitely played transition. Hey at least your area has some high quality lacrosse to watch, indoor or outdoor regardless.

[TexOle]

The Perk at Play during the Swarm game was disgraceful to lacrosse. I was hoping that one of the Chicago players would have laid him out. The bigger the yard sale the better.

The Swarm is not helping the general fan in MN. The rest of the game was terrible. I will go back to some games, but I wish the announcer would shut up. That might shut him up.

The biggest problem with the NLL is that kids watch and emulate it. I have seen more slashing and fighting since the Swarm arrived. I even get the players tell me that the Swarm do it so they should be allowed also.

[GrayBear]

The Perk at Play during the Swarm game was disgraceful to lacrosse.

Probably have to explain that one to the non-Minnesota crowd.

[Sonny]

http://www.kare11.com/sports/sports_art ... yid=148059

[laxfan25]

The biggest problem with the NLL is that kids watch and emulate it. I have seen more slashing and fighting since the Swarm arrived. I even get the players tell me that the Swarm do it so they should be allowed also.

That is why I said that box lax is bad for the field game - the fact that kids think this is how the game should be played. It used to be bad enough when their only national exposure came during the NCAA championships on ESPN - especially a few years back when there were very few calls made on slashes, cross checks, etc., that typically would get flagged at any other level.
The goonery that is called lacrosse in the NLL is like the bastard child of the game - the stickwork is unparalleled, but the cross-checking and thuggery are a definite bad influence.
The comparison that any publicity is good publicity doesn't hold true when others try to emulate it. (i.e. Stryker pulling a Britney Spears commando move!)

[StrykerFSU]

Personally, I can't watch the NLL. It just seems boring to me and the incessant music during game play makes it seem like the marketers know there is something missing from the game and they need to add another element of entertainment for the fan. It's also very hard to follow the action on TV, even worse than hockey.

Give me a college basketball game over the NLL any day.

[Dulax31]

The Perk at Play during the Swarm game was disgraceful to lacrosse. I was hoping that one of the Chicago players would have laid him out. The bigger the yard sale the better.

The Swarm is not helping the general fan in MN. The rest of the game was terrible. I will go back to some games, but I wish the announcer would shut up. That might shut him up.

The biggest problem with the NLL is that kids watch and emulate it. I have seen more slashing and fighting since the Swarm arrived. I even get the players tell me that the Swarm do it so they should be allowed also.

Preach on brother, preach on

[Rob Graff]

I echo the negative thoughts on the NLL.

I am becoming more involved in the youth game as my children grow up. I gave away numerous Swarm tix to many of my child's friends' families last year in the hope that they would play field lacrosse with my son last spring. None of them did. And the parents unanimously told me that the primary reason why was they thought the sport was too brutal and cheap. I will never do that again.

For some context - every one of these families has their son involved in hockey.

The stick skills that are developed are wonderful - especially the shooting - in one hand. But the defensive concepts are not transferable because what passes for defense there is a penalty in field lacrosse at the men's level, and a felony in youth lacrosse.

[Campbell]

I have never played box lacrosse as it is played by the NLL, but having played in numerous indoor leagues where the rules are pretty similar to field lacrosse, there is great benefit. Sure the defense is different and you only have 6 guys on a much smaller playing area, but the game is fast and good for stick work and conditioning. It is also the only alternative in areas where fierce winters prevent outdoor play year round, and maybe summers in TX. Indoor lacrosse has always been secondary in that everyone playing in the indoor leagues just did it to get a little extra lacrosse in and to have fun, most people were in it for the field game.

To the OP, is your poll directed at whether the NLL is hurting the field game? or indoor lacrosse in general?

[Dulax31]

To the OP, is your poll directed at whether the NLL is hurting the field game? or indoor lacrosse in general?

Just in generality, but it is nice to see people opinions on both the pro level and the amateur level. By the posts in this discussion, it seems as if the amateur level of box gets much more love than the NLL level. Some very good points have been brought up about the significance of box in todays field game, now if only the NLL would clean up their version, then I think we could all agree that box would be beneficial to field lacrosse.