Will lacrosse players soon have a third option to pursue their sport in a professional arena? If the organizers of this past Saturday's LXM 949 event in Santa Ana, California have their way, lacrosse players will soon have the option to pursue the professional game in a tour format, much like that of the Dew Tour or the X Games, popular Action Sports competitions.
LXM 949, held this past Saturday, was the first event held by LXM PRO, a company started by two former Maryland lacrosse players who want to provide an alternative to the league format of professional lacrosse, while promoting the sport to a more entertainment-savvy audience.
“We think it addresses what the pro sport of lacrosse is lacking, as well as the frustrations with the league model,” said LXM PRO chief managing officer Jason Rosen to Inside Lacrosse. “We’re going to make (this) different from anything out there and get the sport excited.”
The Santa Ana event included several unique components, including a casting call for several television and movie productions looking to use lacrosse players. Other parts of the day's schedule included a youth clinic with well-known lacrosse player Kyle Harrison, a game between MCLA schools Chapman University and UC Santa Barbara, and an all-star pro lacrosse game. The day's events ended with a concert headlined by alternative rock/pop group 3OH!3.
Despite LXM PRO's claims that the event was the first of its kind, several lacrosse fans were quick to point out online that a mix of clinics and concerts were found during May's NCAA Lacrosse Championship at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
Talent for the all-star game was limited to players not currently under Major League Lacrosse (MLL) contracts, or who had not played the 2009 MLL season due to a specific non-compete style clause in the league's player contracts. Despite that challenge, the all-star game did include several well-known players, including Mikey Powell, Trevor Tierney, and Mickey Jarboe. Event coordinator and player Xander Ritz told Inside Lacrosse in a post-event interview that the all-star game was dominated by its high profile goalies. "The goalies just lit it up out there," said Ritz.
One portion of the all-star portion of the event receiving a ton of buzz are the clear helmets both teams wore. The helmets were clear, with a full view into the inner protection of the helmet, with colored decals and visors. According to LacrossePlayground.com, this was the first professional game to use the clear helmet.
LXM PRO is looking to bring this entertainment and lacrosse hybrid to other areas of the US where youth lacrosse is rapidly growing. Targets for the company's future events include Florida and Texas. "We’re definitely looking to do another event this spring - nothing is official yet because we’re working on venue and artist details to tie things up." said Ritz on Monday.
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