Lacrosse (Sport)
Where I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and in many areas of the East Coast of the U.S., one of the most popular sports to play is a game called Lacrosse. It is most popular in North America, in the U.S. and Canada, however it is played all over the world and it is growing each year. (Here is a link to a Map of where lacrosse is played around the world - https://laxallstars.com/lacrosse-is-played-where-a-world-map-of-international-lacrosse/) Lacrosse was actually started by Native Americans in what is now the U.S. and Canada, and was later adopted and adapted by Europeans to grow into what it is today.
Both men and women, girls and boys, can play lacrosse, and in fact the same ball is used for both (small and round, hard rubber). Besides the ball itself, there are few similarities between men’s and women’s lacrosse. What are the differences we can see? In women’s lacrosse, athletes wear; goggles and no body pads, skirts and tight jerseys (excluding the goalie), a stick with a shallow pocket for the ball, have 12 players on the field, and the athletes tend to be strong, but lean. The rules for women’s lacrosse allows checking (hitting) your opponent’s stick with your stick, but no body checking. Women’s lacrosse is still a contact sport, and stick to body, or body to body contact is frequently made between defenders and attackers, however, intentional body checks are prohibited, and the sphere around the head is off limits as well. We also can see many male and female coaches for women, and a new professional league starting for women this year, in 2016. In men’s lacrosse, athletes wear; full body pads (chest, shoulder, elbow, gloves) and helmets, loose shorts and jerseys, a stick with a deep pocket for the ball, have 10 players on the field, and the athletes are seen as tough and strong. The rules for men’s lacrosse allow more contact, both stick to stick, stick to body, and body to body, however checks to the head sphere are also off limits. There are few to none female coaches in men’s lacrosse, and there has been a professional league since 2001 (which provides more salary and sponsorship opportunities than women’s professional lacrosse).
There are also many obvious, but maybe less visible/physical, differences between men’s and women’s lacrosse. Lacrosse, and sports in general, are often seen as masculine, and everything else is considered secondary. If you Google Image search “lacrosse”, the majority of the photos will be men or boys playing lacrosse, with one or a few pictures of women and girls. There is an expectation to differentiate and say “women’s lacrosse” when talking about females playing the sport. There are also varying expectations for both men/boys and women/girls. For example; men are supposed to be tough and strong (as much contact as possible), and women are supposed to have “finesse” (focus on their stick skills). It is also expected for men to have bruises (and not complain about them) and be dirty and sweaty, while women are encouraged not to look sweaty or “gross”. I remember a time, in high school, after my team had won a game, and we were gathering everyone for a picture. One of my teammate’s family members asked us if we wanted to change shirts so that we didn’t look sweaty in the picture. I remember feeling frustrated by this, and thought to myself, would anyone ever suggest that to a boy’s or men’s lacrosse team? It is completely normal for athletes to sweat from playing their sport, but because sports are “masculine”, women are expected to act or look in certain feminine ways when playing sports.
In conclusion, both sports are “contact sports” with the same overall goals – to score on your opponents’ goal, and to defend your goal. Some people argue that women’s and men’s lacrosse are similar with small differences, while some argue that they are completely different sports. The truth is, there are differences in the physical representations (equipment, etc.), the rules of the game (checking, offsides, etc.), and the social expectations of the athletes, but they are both “lacrosse”. Unfortunately, just as it is with any sport, the men’s version gets more attention, media, money, and respect.
Men's Lacrosse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VUC9b1QH9o
Women's Lacrosse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSM8InGTxeY
