Lacrosse is an exciting sport that is gaining popularity across different states each day.
Today, many college players are considering lacrosse as a full-time career. But is there a professional lacrosse leagues today?
Read more to understand everything about Lacrosse as a fun sport in the USA. This article looks at the current lacrosse pro leagues in the USA.
About
Professional Lacrosse League is an outdoor men’s and women’s sports league played in the United States of America.
Before the Pro lacrosse league, players only participated in field lacrosse/lacrosse. Field lacrosse, in short, is an exciting game that involves a lacrosse stick and a solid lacrosse rubber ball (with a triangular head).
Professional lacrosse is the major version of lacrosse with subdivision in both men’s and women’s leagues across the United States.
The men’s lacrosse version, however, involves body contact while the women’s version allows lacrosse stick contact but not physical contact.
History
The game was an important aspect of Native Americans’ social, spiritual, and political aspects. Field Lacrosse originated from Native Americans in 1867. Lacrosse brought communities together through solving conflicts and community rituals.
The game has significantly evolved over the years modifying its name, until 2001 when Major Lacrosse League was inaugurated.
In June 2001, the North American Major Lacrosse League saw six teams across two divisions (the American Division and National Division).
These included American Division: Bridgeport Barrage, Boston Cannons, and Long Island Lizards. The National Division included: Rochester Rattlers, Baltimore Bayhawks, and New Jersey Pride.
Major League Lacrosse Progression
The Major Lacrosse League (MLL) has progressed since 2001 up to date.
The MLL has also seen a significant increase and decrease in the number of teams participating in the league.
Here is a breakdown.
| Year | No of Teams |
| 2001-2005 | 6 |
| 2006-2008 | 10 |
| 2009-2011 | 6 |
| 2012-2015 | 8 |
| 2016-2018 | 9 |
| 2019-2020 | 6 |
In 2006, four more teams were added to the MLL. These included Denver, San Francisco, Chicago, and Los Angeles. These four teams were introduced to the Western Conference league.
Unfortunately, four teams that included New Jersey, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia from the Western conference folded due to financial challenges in 2008.
In 2009-2011, only 6 teams participated in the MLL.
In April 2012, the Charlotte Hounds and the Ohio Machine were included in the expansion to bring the total number of teams to 8.
In 2016, the Atlanta Blaze became the ninth MLL team.
In 2019, Charlotte Hounds, Ohio Machine, and Florida Launch withdrew from the league thus a reduction to 6 teams.
PLL and MLL Merger
After a long while, the Major Lacrosse League (MLL) could not keep its name and brand. This led to a merger with the PLL (Professional Lacrosse League) in December 202o.
This merger was, however, advantageous because it saw an increase in player registration and the expansion of the league. Other professional players have begun to play since then.
Overview of Lacrosse Game
Each lacrosse game has altered timing according to the skill level.
However, the average length of a lacrosse game is usually 60 minutes. The game is divided into 4 quarters with 12-15 minutes breaks.
How long does a professional lacrosse game last?
A professional lacrosse game lasts for a maximum of 6o minutes. Nonetheless, an additional 10 minutes is usually added in case of a tie between two opposing teams. These additional minutes are for the golden goal period.
A professional lacrosse game is divided into four quarters running for 15 minutes each. There is a two minutes break after each quarter totaling to 4 minutes break.
Each game has 4 quarters divided into halves. The half-time players take a break and coaches are allowed to talk to them. Each game is allowed 2-3 timeouts before each half session. Overtime depends on ties between the two teams at the end of the game.
How much do Lacrosse players make?
Lacrosse players are paid differently each season. Conversely, a professional lacrosse player makes an average of $35000 per season. There are several individual players earning scholarships and full careers from lacrosse teams.
Former Lacrosse players
The highest-paid lacrosse player up to date is Paul Rabil of the Philadelphia Wings. He was the first lacrosse player worth a million dollars. In a year, he earns an average of $69,000 by playing outdoor and indoor lacrosse leagues.
Additionally, lacrosse players are earning a lot (thus increasing their net worth to billions). Currently, Chase Coleman III, is the richest lacrosse player from Williams College with a net worth of $10.3 billion.
The second richest former lacrosse player is Joe Tsai with a net worth of $8.8 billion.
Meg Whitman is the third richest former lacrosse player with a net worth of 4.7billion dollars.
Current Lacrosse players
The National Lacrosse League’s maximum annual salary for most players is $34,000. Rookies, however, pocket $9,000.
The Major Lacrosse League’s maximum annual salary for most players is between $15,000 and $25,000. Rookies, however, pocket $10,000.
Lastly, the Premier Lacrosse League’s maximum annual salary for most players is $28,000.
Rules of the Game
Lacrosse rules vary significantly depending on the league. Women league, men league, MLL, and other games have different rules.
However, here are the most common PLL rules in the game. These rules are governed by The National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA.
- Each team should field 10 players at a time. 1 goalie, 3 middle fielders, 3 attackers, and 3 defenders.
- Each team should dress all the 20 players
- The ball can only be touched by hand by the goalie and no other players.
- Opposing players must not make contact with the goalie when around the goal area (crease).
- Players must use a lacrosse stick to catch, pass, carry, or shoot the ball.
- Each lacrosse match begins with a face-off of a player from each team.
Note that the NCAA changes the rules after a while to make the game comfortable and exciting for players each season.
Lacrosse Positions
The Men’s and women’s professional lacrosse league players’ positioning also varies at times. Nonetheless, a few other positions are constant in any game.
PLL teams have the following team positions.
- Attackers – Usually, you will find three players in this position on the offensive side of the field. They receive the ball from the middle fielders (mid-fielders) and set for the offense.
- Defense – There are 3 defenders on the field on each team. They are positioned on the defense side to guard the crease area and the goalie. Their purpose is to ensure the opponents do not score a goal.
- Goalie – The goalie stands in the crease area to make sure no goal is scored.
- Middle fielder – Normally, there are 3 middle fielders who start the game with a face-off. They play across the entire field, even at the offensive position and the defense area.
Professional Lacrosse Leagues
The Professional Lacrosse league is owned by Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and LLC.
Professional Lacrosse League Men
As of now, there are three pro men’s lacrosse leagues.
- The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)
- The Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and
- The National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Professional Lacrosse League Women
The professional Lacrosse Women’s League consists of;
- United Women’s Lacrosse League
- Women’s Professional Lacrosse League.
Professional Lacrosse Leagues (Men)
Premier Lacrosse League
In June 2019, the American professional Field lacrosse league (APFL) was launched.
The APFL was known as Professional Lacrosse League PLL and was founded by two brothers. Paul Rabil and Mike Rabil.
The league was sponsored by lacrosse billionaire player Joe Tsai and two major groups; The Raine Group and the Chernin Group. The league featured 8teams and toured around 12 major market cities.
The Professional Lacrosse League PLL runs for 14 weeks.
In 2020, the PLL consisted of 182 professional players.
Major Lacrosse League
The Major Lacrosse League was founded by Jake Steinfeld & David Morrow – with New Balance Athletic Shoe Company as the main sponsors of the league in 2003.
In 2001 the inauguration of MLL league was set.
This was a men’s professional lacrosse league played in the United States. The league features 14 games for the entire season competing for the title. This includes the regular 14 games of the season and another 2 additional playoff games.
MLL teams began to play in 2001 up until now.
In 2020, the MLL consisted of 150 professional players.
The 2021 Major Lacrosse League season is scheduled to start on Saturday, June 4.
National Lacrosse League (Indoor Lacrosse league)
This is a pro box organization in North America. In other words, it is an indoor lacrosse league.
The NLL started long ago compared to the PLL and the MLL. It was started in 1986 by Russ Cline and Chris Fritz. It was by then called the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League – and consisted of 4 teams.
The Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League was later rebranded to the Major Indoor Lacrosse League (MILL) after a few years of expansion.
Today, the indoor lacrosse league has 14 teams. 9 in the United States and 5 in Canada.
The rules are the same as the other two sub-divisions of the professional lacrosse league – with 18 games in a regular season.
The National Lacrosse league usually commences in December and concludes in April. However, the playoffs begin immediately after the regular season.
Professional Lacrosse Leagues (Women)
The professional lacrosse women league was formed to give women athletes the chance to play Lacrosse after completing college.
Today, there are 2 women’s lacrosse leagues. The UWLX and the
United Women’s Lacrosse League
Digit Murphy and Aronda Kirby created the United Women’s Lacrosse League (UWLX) in 2015.
As of 2020, the UWLX consisted of 4 teams and 48 professional players.
Women’s Professional Lacrosse League
Michele DeJuliis created the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) in 2018. She was UWLX league’s commissioner before creating her own league later.
As of 2020, the WPLL consisted of 4 teams and 49 professional players.
Teams and Players
The Major Lacrosse League has seen a total of 16 men’s teams and 8 women’s teams up to date.
Here is a list of all the teams that have participated in the Men’s MJL.
| Team | City | Joined | Crumpled |
| Boston Cannons | Quincy, Massachusetts | 2001 | 2020 |
| Chesapeake Bayhawks | Annapolis, Maryland | 2001 | 2020 |
| Dallas Rattlers | Frisco, Texas | 2001 | 2020 |
| New Jersey Pride | Piscataway, New Jersey | 2001 | 2008 |
| New York Lizards | Hempstead, New York | 2001 | 2020 |
| Philadelphia Barrage | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | 2001 | 2020 |
| Chicago Machine | Chicago, Illinois | 2006 | 2010 |
| Denver Outlaws | Denver, Colorado | 2006 | 2020 |
| Los Angeles Riptide | Carson, California | 2006 | 2008 |
| San Francisco Dragons | San Francisco, California | 2006 | 2008 |
| Hamilton Nationals | Hamilton, Ontario | 2009 | 2013 |
| Charlotte Hounds | Charlotte, North Carolina | 2012 | 2020 |
| Ohio Machine | Columbus, Ohio | 2012 | 2019 |
| Florida Launch | Boca Raton, Florida | 2014 | 2019 |
| Atlanta Blaze | Atlanta, Georgia | 2016 | 2020 |
| Connecticut Hammerheads | Fairfield, Connecticut | 2020 | 2020 |
Teams that have participated in the Men’s PLL league.
| Team | Joined |
| Archers Lacrosse Club | 2019 |
| Atlas Lacrosse Club | |
| Chaos Lacrosse Club | 2019 |
| Chrome Lacrosse Club | |
| Redwoods Lacrosse Club Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club | |
| Waterdogs Lacrosse Club | 2020 |
| Cannons Lacrosse Club | 2021 |
Teams that have participated in the Men’s National Lacrosse League/indoor lacrosse.
The men’s national lacrosse league was divided into the East and West divisions.
Here is a list of all the teams that participated between 1987 and 2020.
| Division | Team | Founded | Joined |
| East | Albany FireWolves | 1987 | 2021 |
| Buffalo Bandits | 1991 | 1992 | |
| Georgia Swarm | 2004 | 2015 | |
| Halifax Thunderbirds | 1995 | 2019 | |
| New York Riptide[13] | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Philadelphia Wings | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Rochester Knighthawks | 2019 | 2019 | |
| Toronto Rock | 1998 | 1999 | |
| West | Calgary Roughnecks | 2001 | 2002 |
| Colorado Mammoth | 1987 | 2003 | |
| Panther City Lacrosse Club | 2020 | 2021 | |
| San Diego Seals | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Saskatchewan Rush | 2005 | 2015 | |
| Vancouver Warriors | 2000 | 2013 |
Women’s Lacrosse League teams
Here is a list of all the teams that have participated in the United Women’s Lacrosse League (UWLX).
- Baltimore Ride
- Boston Storm
- Long Island Sound
- Philadelphia Force
Here is a list of all the teams that have participated in the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL).
| Team | Joined |
| Brave | 2018 |
| Command | 2018 |
| Fight | 2018 |
| Pride | 2018 |
Where can I watch the pll lacrosse?
You have unlimited options to watch the PLL Lacrosse league.
The first option and most exciting is going to the arena. But all you have to do is buy the ticket online on the league’s official websites. You should also get tickets before the match day because the tickets are usually sold out before the match day.
The other available alternative is watching the game live on television.
You should purchase the ESPN+, Hulu, or Disney bundles to watch the games live on your TV. PLL lacrosse games are aired on NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock. Alternatively, you can watch the games on other channels that are already applying to get all the rights to air the games live.
The third and last option is streaming live games on any official PLL websites and blogs. The major platform PLL game is aired on YouTube. Also, recorded game highlights are posted on other social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
Conclusion
Lacrosse is another popular sport today. Gone are the days when this particular sport was an amateur activity played by locals and rookies.
Today, you will find several professional lacrosse leagues in the USA. Fortunately, this article has looked at pro-women and men’s lacrosse leagues.
FAQ
Question 1: Is there a professional lacrosse league?
A: The MLL and the PLL are two favorite professional lacrosse leagues.
Question 2: How can I watch live lacrosse league matches?
A: As a lacrosse fan, you can either stream the games live on ESPN or LAX Sports Network.
Question 3: How much money do MLL players make annually?
A: A lacrosse player can make up to $35,000 annually (for a Franchise Player) and $9,000 for a rookie player.
Question 4: Is lacrosse a professional sport?
A: Yes. The MLL is a pro sport that currently has 6 teams.