Is It Finally Time for Lacrosse?

(Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Look, as of 9:59 am EST on Monday I was not a lacrosse fan either. I attended Syracuse University for four years without once attending or watching a single game. (I'm not even sure it's officially referred to as a game. Lacrosse game or lacrosse match?)

The Orange are the New York Yankees of lacrosse. They now have 11 total national championships and at one point boasted a streak of more than 20 straight Final Four appearances.

My collegiate experience with lacrosse was practically the equivalent of living in Green Bay, Wi. and ignoring professional football.

Despite being around the best lacrosse in the world, my reasons for ignoring it were the same as everyone else's. Lacrosse seemed to be an overwhelmingly regional sport and Scranton, Pa. was one of the have-not areas. I didn't know the rules. I didn't know any of the players and the season overlapped with basketball and baseball. 

But on Memorial Day I was stuck in a Tuscon airport and noticed folks gathering around the TV. A quick glance showed my alma mater taking on their Central New York rivals from Cornell University for this year's title.

I got bumped from my initial flight and maybe it was simply fate for me to watch my first lacrosse match that morning.

And if you have not guessed by this point, I was riveted.

The rules and strategy were easy to pick up just from watching (think almost hockey on grass). The action was fast-paced and lent itself to group watching (lots of reactionary fist pumping and clapping from Cornell fans throughout).

This particular game also had a good strategical matchup any sports fan could understand. Cornell held a steady lead nearly the entire game through a methodical, possession-oriented offense (think University of Wisconsin Men's Basketball philosophy) that kept SU from increasing the pace of the game to create a shootout (think University of Memphis Men's Basketball). 

I watched the entire game. It ended with two plays that made the SportsCenter Top 10 (No. 1 and No. 3) the next day.

I listened to the real fans around me tell me about how this game came to be. SU made it to the Final Four largely due to the midseason addition of a local junior college attacker and after their backup goalie started a tournament game (and rose to the occasion

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?