It's a Shame: How the MLL All-Star Game Shows the Plight of Lacrosse

For those of you who missed it, the MLL All-Star game was this past Thursday night. In the format of "Young Guns" vs. "Old School," the game was a great display of field lacrosse, as the Old School prevailed 22-21 in overtime. However, the event was a good display of why lacrosse is not a major sport yet, and why it still has a long way to go.

The style of play in the game was very balanced for an All-Star game. While the score was predictably high, the goaltenders were up to the challenge of stopping shots when given a chance. And, as Brett Queener showed, some where there looked to be no chance. Queener dove across the crease on a cross-net pass to rob the Old School of a goal in the third period.

The goaltenders weren't the only ones to make the highlight reel of course. The assortment of goals showed the variety of skills needed for high-level field lacrosse, as the usual close in "stick-trick" goals were complemented by MVP Brian Langtry's three two-point goals from long range.

All of the players, seemed to be having a great time during the event, especially the Young Guns. After their first goal of the game 4:07 into the first quarter, they posed for a quick picture (above) taken by Queener. The festive atmosphere continued into the halftime skills competition, where some of MLL's brightest showed their stuff, including two hardest shots over 110 mph, one by Max Seibald at 110, and the winner by Paul Rabil at 111 mph, a new record. The freestyle competition that followed showed some of the skills players can't do during a game or during a skills competition.

All-in-all, the All-Star game was a great celebration of field lacrosse in my opinion.

The Contradiction

But here's where the problem lies. While the game was a great celebration of lacrosse and while it was played at a high standard, the game was aired on a Thursday night, at 10:00pm EST. And while it was broadcast on ESPN2, and over the internet on ESPN360, it seemed to be terribly inconvenient for those wanting to watch on the East Coast, where the greatest interest lies.

I applaud ESPN for seeing the potential that MLL, NCAA, and NLL Lacrosse hold for ratings and growth. While the NCAA has remedied this problem, the MLL and ESPN need to talk to see if they can garner more exposure for Post-NCAA lacrosse, where perhaps the greatest gains lie. Now perhaps, maybe this year's time slot is due to the Denver location, and the timezone difference that follows. However, the game could've been earlier to compromise with Eastern fans.

But, through all of this, the biggest contradiction lies in the number of fans that were actually at Invesco Field in Denver watching the game. The weather seemed to be perfect, and there was no rain. Yet, Denver could only draw 10,123 people to the game. But when I saw that figure, that still seemed to be quite high. Look at many of the photos from the game, or the broadcast itself. The seats in the background all seem to be empty. This, in a city which has set three MLL attendance records? Something's wrong here.

And so, the contradiction:

In an event that is a celebration of high-caliber lacrosse, no one attends?

Isn't that a representation of the current state of lacrosse...