I can remember the first high school soccer game I ever went to…….and the only reason why I was there was because my neighbor, a foreign exchange student from Germany, was playing for the other team.  Total fan count in the stands, “6” students and 1 parent!  This, of course, was acceptable back in the late 70’s, as the sport of soccer was barely known, very much like lacrosse was several years ago.

Since the 70’s, the sport of soccer has enjoyed quite the popular rise as far as a mainstream sport.  Parents with their little ones found a sport that was relatively “safe” and at a young age, required very little skill.  They loved the fact that it was kids just getting great exercise, running up and down a field kicking a ball, being part of a team in uniform, etc.  The key phrase I heard constantly was “no contact”……..

In high school, it became quite different!  Skill and understanding of the game was needed.  Being a soccer player made you stand out and was very unique, especially if you were a good player!  Of course, more publicity about soccer scholarships helped the push dramatically.  That, and a great media blitz during the Olympics and World Cup!

Enter, the sport of lacrosse…..here we go again, a mostly unknown sport that seemed reserved for a few prep and ivy league schools in areas of the country that seemed “secret”.  It is amazing how lacrosse has caught fire in a relatively short period of time.  Now, when it first started popping up, the crowds would rival that of soccer during its infant stages and to this day, although the crowds have increased dramatically, most of those in the stands haven’t the foggiest idea what the rules are.  Of course, it really is a pretty simple concept…..one team has to get the ball into the other teams net (goal) and to do so, you have to pass it around to keep the ball from getting taken away!  Very much like a huge game of “keep-a-way”‘, with the intent to score!

Where lacrosse has “one upped” soccer, is that while it is a lot of running up and down the field like soccer, it has a lot more contact between players.  Not to mention, getting wacked with the sticks, etc.  It seems that youth lacrosse is that perfect “between” sport for parents to agree on…..it is not the violence of football, yet there is contact, to please the rabid “dad” in the family and it has a lot of running up and down the field.  Although, the skill set needed is a bit more higher level, as you need to have good hand-eye coordination to catch and throw the ball from the net “end” of the stick……..where as with soccer, little kids running up and down the field taking a kick at a soccer ball is fairly easy to do.

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying lacrosse is better than soccer.  Both sports, at the middle-school and high school level require a huge amount of skill and endurance, not to mention some brain power to digest the rules and stategies of the game.  It is also surprising of the skill set you can see out on the youth fields.  But, it does seem that lacrosse has popped up to claim that new “cool” sport that soccer had all to itself for so many years!

With more and more schools adding lacrosse to its athletics programs, colleges making more of a push for scholarships and with the increased television exposure (thanks ESPN), the popularity and retail marketing of the sport is just going to continue to grow!  Is it possible that lacrosse will simply bypass the popularity that soccer once enjoyed here in the U.S.?  The jury is still out on that one, but if you pay attention to the crowds, the TV scheduling and the marketing, it seems that lacrosse will not only pass up soccer, but may challenge some of the  other mainstream sports…..Of course, I say the “U.S.” because across the globe, soccer is “king”!  I can’t see that ever changing!

* For more high school athletics and college recruiting / scholarship assistance, visit:  http://www.viewmysport.com/