http://www.laxpower.com/common/participation08.php
check out the link above for participation, roster size and other numbers related to lacrosse in the college ranks, specifically at the NCAA level. Unfortunately, I have not yet found similar numbers for the MCLA.
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economy. Show all posts
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Great success in Boston for new NLL franchise
Gone are the days of the Green, Black and Orange, gone are the days of spandex shorts and huge hockey jerseys yet the Boston Blazers are back and showing the rest of the league how to do things right. Considering the economy and their expansion status, the Blazers are drawing good numbers and winning games. They are doing so by asking their players to make a real commitment. A lot of players in the NLL and MLL don't live where they play, show up for games and are on the first plane out of town after the game is over. Not so in Beantown. The players live near one another, hang out off the field, play a lot of lax and are really trying to get the larger Boston community interested. Read the whole article to hear the whole story:
An approving nod of the head to NESCAC legend, NLL legend and Dreadlock legend[even if he eventually cut them off], Tom Ryan, for leading this team to success both on and off the "box".
Friday, February 13, 2009
MLL Craziness! Part III
follow the link below to a more detailed explanation of the MLL's impending contraction:
http://www.examiner.com/x-1475-Boston-Lacrosse-Examiner~y2009m2d13-Major-League-Lacrosse-reportedly-contracting-teams-Boston-Cannons-safe-for-now
I like the move to Toronto. Rochester was given their shot and couldn't make it work. Toronto did well with the NLL's Toronto Rock franchise so I sincerely hope the MLL team sees the same successes.
Seems like Boston, LI and the Bayhawks will all be fine. Chicago seems to be sticking it out but the fortunes of the Chicago Shamrox do not bode well for the Machine's future, nor do the Machine's past attendance numbers.
http://www.examiner.com/x-1475-Boston-Lacrosse-Examiner~y2009m2d13-Major-League-Lacrosse-reportedly-contracting-teams-Boston-Cannons-safe-for-now
I like the move to Toronto. Rochester was given their shot and couldn't make it work. Toronto did well with the NLL's Toronto Rock franchise so I sincerely hope the MLL team sees the same successes.
Seems like Boston, LI and the Bayhawks will all be fine. Chicago seems to be sticking it out but the fortunes of the Chicago Shamrox do not bode well for the Machine's future, nor do the Machine's past attendance numbers.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
MLL Craziness! Part II
http://www.majorleaguelacrosse.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=1270
So the MLL is improving its social networking but reducing the number of teams in the league from 10 to 6? Wow.
Now I know that facebook is the biggest thing ever right now in terms of popularity. Supposedly it is even worth a lot of money. However, that money is not real money in the sense that the revenues minus the costs simply do not add up to the purported net present value of the asset[the asset being facebook]. The asset's value is SO high that there is even the potential to see a second DotCom style recession where many websites are simply not creating substantial returns [AGAIN!]and then just like the early 2000s we will see a major drop in values.
Back to the lax side of things...
The MLL needs to focus less on gimicks, less on social networking, less on dance teams and more on the actual products that relate to lacrosse. If they want to be successful they should also work on their website BASICS such as: updating scores quickly, supplying photos and game recaps for more than one game a week, streaming games online for a small fee or something along those lines. Facebook is great but why would someone sign up for the MLL's network when they can't even get the lacrosse and business part right first? There really isn't any one place to get good info on the MLL and the fact that the league itself is not providing this much needed info will not help them in the long run. It seems like the league doesn't even believe in its product enough to feature it on its own website!
So the MLL is improving its social networking but reducing the number of teams in the league from 10 to 6? Wow.
Now I know that facebook is the biggest thing ever right now in terms of popularity. Supposedly it is even worth a lot of money. However, that money is not real money in the sense that the revenues minus the costs simply do not add up to the purported net present value of the asset[the asset being facebook]. The asset's value is SO high that there is even the potential to see a second DotCom style recession where many websites are simply not creating substantial returns [AGAIN!]and then just like the early 2000s we will see a major drop in values.
Back to the lax side of things...
The MLL needs to focus less on gimicks, less on social networking, less on dance teams and more on the actual products that relate to lacrosse. If they want to be successful they should also work on their website BASICS such as: updating scores quickly, supplying photos and game recaps for more than one game a week, streaming games online for a small fee or something along those lines. Facebook is great but why would someone sign up for the MLL's network when they can't even get the lacrosse and business part right first? There really isn't any one place to get good info on the MLL and the fact that the league itself is not providing this much needed info will not help them in the long run. It seems like the league doesn't even believe in its product enough to feature it on its own website!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
MLL Craziness!
Looks like the MLL franchise in Philly is folding. Sad considering that they won the whole shabang a couple of times and were the closest thing the MLL had to a dynasty. LA and San Fran are also going down the drain... or you can place Chi-town on the list and remove one of the Cali squads. Seems like it is still up in the air. The Rochester to Toronto move seems to be real though.
http://www.lax.com/story.phtml?story=2218
On a side note: If 4 MLL teams actually fold this spring/summer the talent on those teams is going to be dispersed among the 6 teams left over. With Rochester moving to Toronoto, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rattlers [Toronoto Rattlers? that makes about as much sense as the Utah Jazz!] add even more Canadian talent. This means that summer club tournaments may be getting back to the days where they were loaded with Div 1 All-Americans and you could see some of the best lacrosse players in the world for free... and maybe even play against them!
I remember playing with Billy Daye, Bill Edell and a bunch of other Cannons players before the MLL ever started and that opportunity made me a much better player. I remember playing against Paul Gait at Lake Placid and thinking to myself after the game, "I just threw a kayak covering one of the absolute best ever".
These were terrific experiences and while I am sad to see the MLL shrink, I will try to look at it as an opportunity for a whole new generation to play against the best of the best in great summer places like Glastonbury, Lake Placid, Vail and all of the other summer club tourneys.
above: Glastonbury action from 2008
http://www.lax.com/story.phtml?story=2218
On a side note: If 4 MLL teams actually fold this spring/summer the talent on those teams is going to be dispersed among the 6 teams left over. With Rochester moving to Toronoto, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rattlers [Toronoto Rattlers? that makes about as much sense as the Utah Jazz!] add even more Canadian talent. This means that summer club tournaments may be getting back to the days where they were loaded with Div 1 All-Americans and you could see some of the best lacrosse players in the world for free... and maybe even play against them!
I remember playing with Billy Daye, Bill Edell and a bunch of other Cannons players before the MLL ever started and that opportunity made me a much better player. I remember playing against Paul Gait at Lake Placid and thinking to myself after the game, "I just threw a kayak covering one of the absolute best ever".
These were terrific experiences and while I am sad to see the MLL shrink, I will try to look at it as an opportunity for a whole new generation to play against the best of the best in great summer places like Glastonbury, Lake Placid, Vail and all of the other summer club tourneys.above: Glastonbury action from 2008
1 lacrosse - New guy on the block
1lacrosse is a new lacrosse company that so far produces shafts, stringing kits and a head called the Aon. they have been featured on e-lacrosse [http://www.e-lacrosse.com/despainint.html] and while they are similar to some of the big boy manufacturers, there are also many differences.
1lacrosse was not started by one of the Powells or Gaits. It was not started by an All-American who played at Princeton, Syracuse or Hopkins. It was started by a guynamed Brian DeSpain from Texas A&M's MCLA club team and the company seems to be more about spreading the game of lacrosse than making butt loads of money. I'm sure they are looking to turn a profit at 1lacrosse but it doesn't seem to be their sole motivation.
They are similar to the big boys like Warrior and STX in that they have their equipment produced in China. Beyond that, they are VERY different. Their head retails for about $60 strung as opposed to the $90+ many other companies charge. The offset is minimal and the head is strong and stiff. The plastic they use seems to be a little different than the shiny plastic many other munfacturers employ. I have one of their sticks and to me, it seems like a great wand for either a top-level FOGO or a feeder type player to use.
Check out the e-lacrosse article [as usual, they do a great job covering new lax gear!] and go to 1lacrosse's website: http://www.1lacrosse.com/affiliate/affiliate.php?id=128
Best Deals 2009!
Every year lacrosse heads and shafts seem to get more and more expensive. Considering that many people's pockets are running on empty right now and the fact that lacrosse sticks tend to break eventually, a cheap, high-quality lacrosse head has to be in high demand.
The best deal I have found so far is the Gait Triton. Gait has discontinued the head and that is the reason for its very modest prices, which hovers between $30 and $40 depending on where you go. I just ordered two of them and 2 new pieces of mesh from lax.com [http://www.lax.com/shop/item.phtml?page=product_2360_front.phtml] and it totalled [w/ shipping!] around $100.
The head is great in my opinion for the following reasons: it is lightweight, strong, provides endless stringing options, relatively narrow face and it is fully offset. It is a great stick for box lacrosse as well as being the weapon of choice for Bryant's Zach Greer when he was playing with Duke... so you know its good... and now its cheap!
On a side note, it will be interesting to see what kind of stick Greer uses this season as Bryant was sponsored by Gait but now seems to be sponsored by Brine. You often see players use heads from non-sponsoring companies like Greer did at Duke.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
MLL in Canada? Possibly...
An investment group in Toronto is looking to lure Rochester's MLL franchise up to the great white North.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090210.LACROSSE10/TPStory/Sports
With a considerable amount of Canadian talent already on the team, the Rattlers would be primed for success in Toronto, where lacrosse is a relatively well known sport [albeit the indoor version]. The NLL franchise, the Toronto Rock, does quite well over the winter so it makes sense that fans would come out for lacrosse outdoors once the weather warms up a little.
It is interesting that while one team in the MLL is entertaining a move to another country, 5 others teams are still owned by the league... seems like all of these teams need to get on the same page because a fragmented league in an economic situation like our current one spells disaster.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090210.LACROSSE10/TPStory/Sports
With a considerable amount of Canadian talent already on the team, the Rattlers would be primed for success in Toronto, where lacrosse is a relatively well known sport [albeit the indoor version]. The NLL franchise, the Toronto Rock, does quite well over the winter so it makes sense that fans would come out for lacrosse outdoors once the weather warms up a little.
It is interesting that while one team in the MLL is entertaining a move to another country, 5 others teams are still owned by the league... seems like all of these teams need to get on the same page because a fragmented league in an economic situation like our current one spells disaster.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
