Lacrosse should be celebrated as much as football at ND
Did you know we’re #1 in the country?
The number one ranked Fighting Irish men’s lacrosse team will open the 2016 season against Georgetown on Saturday Kennesaw, Georgia. And though lacrosse’s popularity has taken off nationally in recent years, interest in the sport has not experienced the same rise among Notre Dame students.
In fact, students at Notre Dame don’t seem interested at all in supporting this unbelievable team.
Two weekends ago, the Irish hosted a scrimmage with the professional team the Atlanta Blaze of the MLL. The scrimmage was a showcase of the highest level of lacrosse, akin to the Alabama Crimson Tide taking on the LA Rams.
When the final whistle blew, the Loftus Center shook, from the half-hearted claps of the twenty or so fans in attendance.
Junior face-off specialist PJ Finley says he doesn’t blame students for the poor attendance.
“It’s honestly tough with the weather and schedule,” PJ said. “We play two games indoors early on and then three outside after break and soon enough its playoffs.”
PJ’s right.
Notre Dame, tucked away in scenic and arctic Northern Indiana, is not the ideal location to play lacrosse. At least not until the snow banks melt around April 1st.
But this isn’t just a cold Notre Dame problem either.
Greg Pelton, a sophomore defensemen at Duke University, said, “unless you come from a ‘hot bed’ area of lacrosse, such as the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, there’s not much interest in it.”
Even three-time national champion Duke has trouble attracting students.
ND lacrosse has quietly triumphed the past couple of seasons, making the Final Four three out of the last four years. The road to the championship starts in the regular season, which makes every game count.
“We had a few games last year, notably Syracuse and UNC, that were sold out and actually had a decent amount of students,” he said.
Those games were electric. The stands swarmed with older enthusiasts and young fanatics accompanied by their neon sticks. A few students were sprinkled among the crowd but nothing compared to a football game day.
“I love when students come. Everyone on the team knows when there’s a big turnout so it’s always awesome,” said sophomore attack man Mikey Wynne.
PJ added, “It’s like the greater the pressure, the better the game is. When Arlotta Stadium is packed, there’s nothing like it. It’s probably the top venue in D1 college lacrosse.”
With such high hopes on the line, the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team, one of the best, if not the best team in the country, needs the support of the students, even those who don’t yet understand the game.
“We would love to see more students out for our home games this year,” PJ said. “We have a couple of huge ones in Duke and Denver that would be the perfect opportunity for any student to catch their first college lacrosse game.”
Sounds like a great time to show Pelton and Duke what a student section can do.