It’s the last minute of the game, down by one. You and your teammates are looking on with bated breath, hoping that once bounce, one play, will go your way. 

A single pass and one perfectly placed shot in either direction could be the difference between heartbreak and triumph. 

This thrill is one of the reasons that I decided to play college lacrosse. I have been playing lacrosse since I was in 4th grade, and it has been a central part of my life ever since. But only recently have I dived into the history of lacrosse, a side effect of my constant interactions with the sport as a college athlete.

Kahnawake Lacrosse Club 1867. Photographer William Notman (1826-1891). Wikimedia Commons: McCord Stewart Museum 

The history of the game of lacrosse all goes back to the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. 

Both the Haudenosaunee and the Iroquois began playing it in the 1100s in the New York region of what is now the United States. They began playing both as a social event and to settle disputes between tribes; this was a central piece to their culture. Many believed that the game was a gift from the creator, and is a central piece to their creation story and who they are inside. Many tribes believe that the game was a gift directly from the creator, given to them as a way to teach children traditional values.

Native peoples enjoyed autonomy in playing the game they loved, as they did with their land, until white settlers began to trickle in from Europe. 

Joueurs de crosse. Musée national archéologique d'Athènes. Wikimedia Commons: Codex

The first non-natives to witness the indigenous peoples playing lacrosse were French missionaries, who labeled it lacrosse because of the perceived resemblance of the stick to a bishop's cross. The game became more and more popular with Europeans, who began to strip out some of the more traditional aspects that made it indigenous, such as the size of the field and the rules and regulations.  Europeans who tried to recreate the game began restricting the equipment by requiring expensive protective gear, and the amount of people allowed on the field at one time, and ultimately assimilated a traditionally native sport into something more European. 

As centuries wore on, the sport became associated with wealth and the upper class, mainly because of its quick integration into college athletics, with many of those attending being part of the white upper class. Many ivy league universities became renowned for their lacrosse teams and the sport grew further away from what was first played amongst native tribes, due to the drastic changes in rules and culture, focusing the game much more on the competition between individuals than the growth of community.

George Beers was the first person to write a rulebook about lacrosse; it was published in 1869. This guide turned lacrosse into a structured sport quite distanced from its Indigenous roots. Beers’ book emphasized the competition that was so common in European sports, instead of the spiritual reasons many natives played it for. 

As countries and governments began their forced assimilation of native tribes in the 1800s, many indigenous people were barred from playing lacrosse, as the game became reserved for their white counterparts. Lacrosse was played in the Olympics beginning in 1904 and even had a team composed of indigenous men that took bronze. But even after their success, the US Lacrosse Association banned all native teams from playing field lacrosse, furthering the racial divide. 

The Official National Collegiate Athletic Association lacrosse guide, 1922. Wikimedia Commons: Library of Congress

Currently, both natives and non-natives are fighting to allow the Iroquois National team representation in the 2028 Olympic games. It will be the first return of lacrosse in the Olympics since the 1908 games. 

Indians from N.Y. state reservation. 1901. Photographer Arnold, C. D. (Charles Dudley). Wikimedia Commons: Library of Congress 

The sport itself has skyrocketed in recent years, with participation up 138% and the classification as the fastest growing high-school sport; new people are being introduced daily. As the sport of lacrosse grows and reaches new heights and demographics, the importance of acknowledging the roots of the sport is critical. 

However, the history of exclusion and cultural appropriation still lingers in the sport’s structure and demographics. But this phenomenon can be changed. With the education of youth and newcomers about the heritage of the sport coupled with increased media coverage, lacrosse can begin to return to its roots, uniting all kinds of different people together because of the love of the game.

Wikimedia Commons: Tonny Mpagi

Luke Bobby is currently a sophomore at Nazareth University, majoring in Political Science. Also, he is a member of the Nazareth Men's Lacrosse Team. In his free time, Luke enjoys hanging out with his teammates and coaching youth lacrosse.