People! This is a sport(s) isssue. Not a male/female, macho/feminist, call for social reform. The two sports are completely different but do share at least one common thread; growing pains. I'll come back to that, but first, "Lacrosse for Dummies" FYI, ball and 6'x6' goal/net are the same, that's about it! Field dimensions and interior markings are different. Sticks are different, look the same, different pockets. Most importantly, the rules are different. So different in fact, most refs haven't the faintest idea how to officiate the other gender. Head gear for females has been an issue for quite some time. The common thread with men is the evolution of the game. Lacrosse, on both sides, has always been a game of finesse. On the male side, once everyone showed up looking like robo-cops with newly designed helmets (mid-90's) the game became OOC. It wasn't until 5 years ago that US Lacrosse, NFHS, and NCAA adopted rules changing the culure of male lax; "contact" still exists but all out hitting, especially targeting head/neck has virtually been eliminated; with major penalties for infractions. I understand why the females are worried about helmets; aggresive play. But "The beauty of our game will be gone." What-ever! Resemble the boys game? Not! Helmets should be required for everyone in HS. Sheila/Seattle has it right; "no need to change the game." Just get some good looking helmets on the ladies, because those rugby things look bloody awful!
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I've been coaching girls lacrosse for over 8 years. While the game may not be as developed as the East coast, my daughter has played plenty of games on the east coast and she plays in college now.
If you really wanted to fix this, make the penalty greater for contact with the head. First foul, out of the game, play down for 5 minutes unreleasable. You can sub in a player after the 5 minutes expire, but the offending player is exempt from returning that game.
Do you want to see it stop? That's how you do this. Wrapping our kids in a protective cap and increasing rough play because of it, is not the answer. Stiffer penalties will remove the aggressiveness. It's not rocket science. The game is beautiful and extremely exciting.
If you really wanted to fix this, make the penalty greater for contact with the head. First foul, out of the game, play down for 5 minutes unreleasable. You can sub in a player after the 5 minutes expire, but the offending player is exempt from returning that game.
Do you want to see it stop? That's how you do this. Wrapping our kids in a protective cap and increasing rough play because of it, is not the answer. Stiffer penalties will remove the aggressiveness. It's not rocket science. The game is beautiful and extremely exciting.
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Girls lacrosse is a fantastically fast and intense sport. Head protection would not be an issue if there were sufficient stick skills coaching, and refereeing of games. My daughter suffered two concussions due to stick contact in her four years of high school lacrosse. Headaches, difficulty concentrating and vision issues ensued. Under-reporting of concussions is also an issue because no girl wants to miss time on the field by even admitting to contact, let alone a possible concussion, which would bench her. Using appropriate shoes for turf, mouth gards, and eyewear have all been adopted as the sport has gotten faster. There is no need to change the game, just please protect those qucik-thinking brains.
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I say it's up to the player and/or the player's parent. As a rugby player, if you're worried about concussions on the field, you go buy a scrum cap. As a baseball player, if you're worried about taking a pitch off the elbow when you crowd the plate, you buy an elbow guard. This equipment isn't "mandatory", and since there is not "mandatory" physical contact in girls' lacrosse (unlike football), why not leave it up to the players and their families?
Concussions are serious. I get that. But why the undue attention on women's lacrosse?
In the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study for the 2013-14 school year, women’s lacrosse ranked sixth in overall injury rates among female high school athletes, behind soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball and softball. Additionally, women’s lacrosse ranked ninth among high school sports in concussion rates.
In the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study for the 2013-14 school year, women’s lacrosse ranked sixth in overall injury rates among female high school athletes, behind soccer, basketball, field hockey, volleyball and softball. Additionally, women’s lacrosse ranked ninth among high school sports in concussion rates.
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The attention is not undue because in the opening sentence of Mr. Pennington's article. he writes that women's lacrosse is one of the country's most popular and fastest-growing female sports.
As a college varsity lacrosse player, I have to say most of the comments here - made by men - show a lack of understanding of the differences between women's and men's lacrosse. It's not that women play a softer version of the same game - it's more like the difference between rugby and American football. Women's lacrosse demands different stick handling and dodging skills - although there's constant pressure to make the equipment and game strategy more like the men's. Also: If you are getting hit in the head, with the ball or stick, it's because someone broke the rules or lacks skill/made a mistake -it's not like heading the ball in soccer or even getting tackled in football. The skills in women's lacrosse are hard to learn - which means that the biggest danger to players is probably lack of skill and lack of good coaching and enough coaching in the early years.
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I'm not against protective headgear.
I use it any time I get on a horse or skis.
But as a Lacrosse player of 60 years ago (when we didn't wear headgear) & with the neurological knowledge acquired since then, I would venture to say that we're still not addressing the sequelae of a soft brain rocking back & forth inside a hard skull.
I use it any time I get on a horse or skis.
But as a Lacrosse player of 60 years ago (when we didn't wear headgear) & with the neurological knowledge acquired since then, I would venture to say that we're still not addressing the sequelae of a soft brain rocking back & forth inside a hard skull.
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My daughter played all through High School. I sat and winced on the sidelines. Small goggles and a mouth guard between her and flying sticks and a hard, hard dense rubber ball. Give the young women helmets, pads, gloves and let them play the game like the young men. Insane that they take higher risks for injury so that the game is more "lady like".
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EXACTLY. If my team of wild 14 yr old boys looked at the girls' team in the next field and their first response was "why aren't they wearing helmets", this should be obvious to any adult in the room. After I told my team girls' lacrosse had no contact and thus required no pads, they said, "but they use the same ball, don't they?". Yes. Kids have this figured out. And don't make girls play a special game. It may be traditional, but that doesn't mean it's right.
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I'll be curious to see what the headgear looks like and whether the product is capable of reducing concussions. What I find troubling is the lack of data behind the decisions that are largely being made by uninformed high school sports associations unfamiliar with the sport. Concussions in the sport of women's lacrosse are low -- lower than other women's sports. I wonder if soccer, gymnastics and basketball will go to headgear as well? Or for that matter, cheerleaders?
VJR, say what you like about the "boring sport" of women's lax; you are sorely wrong. It is a game of grace, beauty, speed, aggressiveness and endurance, a game quite distinct from the brute force and boring zone defense of the men's game. Women's lax has its own set of rules aimed at minimizing contact with the body, especially the head (no checking into the head, stick distance from head must be maintained, etc.) I personally would oppose protective headgear, goggles are a great idea. Never received a ball or stick to the head. Concessions are still a serious issue, but again, current rules are aimed at preventing these.
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For girl's/women's lacrosse, wear headgear in practice for drills, etc., but not for games or during scrimmages/game-like conditions. As for soccer, change the rules to disallow headers for balls between the 18 yard lines...that eliminates the typical higher/harder and more potentially damaging mid-field headers, and also requires players to use their feet and body to control balls coming up-field from goal kicks and the defensive zone. Granted, headers associated with corner kicks would still be an issue, but eliminating those would change the game too dramatically...perhaps some light headgear for the forehead and anterior crown of the head could be designed to mitigate most of that risk. The biggest risk for soccer injuries to body or head is uncontrolled collisions, but I don't know how you prevent those without changing the rules and character of the game significantly.
Why not adjust the rules so that there is a substantial penalty for any body or stick contact? There are already plenty of goon sports like football and ice hockey. Maybe even establish a trend for mens lacrosse to be come non-contact. Wait, wait, my crystal ball now shows Tom Brady playing flag football!
Women's rugby is played without any modification from the men's game. Coach the same techniques, teach the same skills, and always make safety a priority and there is no need for sexist rules changes. Let them play their sport!
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Hmm, I agree with same rules for both men and women, but I was thinking the opposite. Why not change men's rules to emphasize skill over brute force?
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Concussions are caused by abrubt acceleration of the brain. I don't see what these will do to help that.
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"The uniqueness and special nature of women's lacrosse will be lost." Well, what's it going to be? Are women really as tough and skilled as men, such that "run like a girl" means nothing when faced by an athlete with drive and determination? Or are girls really different, and they need special coddling? Frankly I think the women's game now is boring and I see no reason why they can't play with full contact, full padding and helmets.
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The same argument was used against mandatory bicycle helmets, auto
seatbelt use , ski/snowboard helmets, motorcycle helmets and so on down the line. The correlation is false.
seatbelt use , ski/snowboard helmets, motorcycle helmets and so on down the line. The correlation is false.
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Just 5 years ago we were debating whether girls playing field hockey should wear eye protection, only the coaches opposed it, parents wanted their daughters protected. Here we are again, worrying about the "beauty of the game" instead of the safety of the girls.
My sons and daughters all played lacrosse in high school, suffering many injuries along the way. My sons had the latest and greatest protective gear, supplied by the school, my daughters played in no protective gear at all.
Professional sports changes the rules to protect highly paid adults (MLB just changed the sliding rule) but young girls are subjected to unnecessary risk by the adults who are supposed to be protecting them. Its clear what we value as a society and who we don't.
I love that the high school coach considers the "worst case situation" to be that the game will change, not that one of her athletes will suffer massive head trauma from a rock hard ball traveling 60 miles per hour. Enough said!
My sons and daughters all played lacrosse in high school, suffering many injuries along the way. My sons had the latest and greatest protective gear, supplied by the school, my daughters played in no protective gear at all.
Professional sports changes the rules to protect highly paid adults (MLB just changed the sliding rule) but young girls are subjected to unnecessary risk by the adults who are supposed to be protecting them. Its clear what we value as a society and who we don't.
I love that the high school coach considers the "worst case situation" to be that the game will change, not that one of her athletes will suffer massive head trauma from a rock hard ball traveling 60 miles per hour. Enough said!
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This article begs the larger question: why are girls playing by a different set of rules than boys?
Are there different rules for different genders in soccer? Hockey? Basketball? Tennis?
I don't get it.
Why not have a single set of rules for the entire sport? And equal equipment to go along?
Are there different rules for different genders in soccer? Hockey? Basketball? Tennis?
I don't get it.
Why not have a single set of rules for the entire sport? And equal equipment to go along?
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First off, yes there are different rules for boy's and girl's hockey (no checking) and basketball (ball size, shot clock, three point distances, etc.)
Just because boy's lacrosse and girl's lacrosse share the same ball and similar looking sticks that doesn't mean they are the same sport. They are dramatically different games by design. They have different equipment, field size and markings and rules. Give a girl's stick to most boys and they will be incapable of passing or catching because the stick lacks the deep pocket that boy's sticks have.
To say that boys and girls should play by the same rules misses the point. This isn't about "equality" but is about preserving a better and more interesting game that doesn't rely on brute force, checking and high speed collisions. Boys lacrosse has become more like American football over the past twenty years as our culture continues to reward "gladiators" whenever possible. In my opinion, in the quest to make it more exciting (shot clock, etc), boy's lacrosse has become less interesting.
Rugby, Irish Football, Canadian Football and American Football are all played with oblong shaped leather balls - would anyone ever suggest that all of those sports should adopt the same rules?
Just because boy's lacrosse and girl's lacrosse share the same ball and similar looking sticks that doesn't mean they are the same sport. They are dramatically different games by design. They have different equipment, field size and markings and rules. Give a girl's stick to most boys and they will be incapable of passing or catching because the stick lacks the deep pocket that boy's sticks have.
To say that boys and girls should play by the same rules misses the point. This isn't about "equality" but is about preserving a better and more interesting game that doesn't rely on brute force, checking and high speed collisions. Boys lacrosse has become more like American football over the past twenty years as our culture continues to reward "gladiators" whenever possible. In my opinion, in the quest to make it more exciting (shot clock, etc), boy's lacrosse has become less interesting.
Rugby, Irish Football, Canadian Football and American Football are all played with oblong shaped leather balls - would anyone ever suggest that all of those sports should adopt the same rules?
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They are really two different sports and should barely be called the same name. Men's lacrosse is like ice hockey, women's lacrosse is much more similar to basketball. As someone who played and coaches college women's lacrosse, we like our game. If men would like to play it our way they are welcome to. But we have no interest in playing their sport.
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As I've always understood it, women's lacrosse is the purer form of the sport originally played by Native Americans and it’s the men’s version that’s dramatically altered with all the pads and helmets and hitting. The women’s game requires more skill, endurance, and athleticism, and especially to play such a potentially dangerous game without contact or gear. Most of the rules are in place to keep the game safe. And there used to be (hopefully there still are) modified rules for younger kids so they can build their skills and learn the game without worrying about getting clocked. Although the women’s game has changed a lot in the last 20 years, with the addition of hard boundaries, offsides, and goggles, it still has grace and flow because it remains non-contact. I fear head gear will lead to helmets will lead to full gear and full contact and, yes, we’ll lose a beautiful game. Why can’t the women’s game be different? Or maybe the men should alter their game.
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"...with a hard, unyielding ball..." A lacrosse ball is not hard and unyielding. It's a rubber ball with a lot of bounce; you can bounce one 20-30 ft in the air off a hard surface. Any danger is more in the weight of the ball, not its "hardness."
And have to second @John Long's comment. Lacrosse has been played for a long, long time. It's older than baseball, basketball, and football combined. It's older than soccer, hockey, and has been played longer than the "Royal and Ancient" game of golf.
And have to second @John Long's comment. Lacrosse has been played for a long, long time. It's older than baseball, basketball, and football combined. It's older than soccer, hockey, and has been played longer than the "Royal and Ancient" game of golf.
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My take away from this article is that there are still people out there who think women should be less violent than men when playing a sport, so they shouldn't need to protect their heads and bodies. Wake up. If there is potential for injury, there should be protection against it. My daughter plays ice hockey. She loves it. She's good at it. It is a different hockey than what the boys play, but it's still fun for her, her team, and the very dynamic and thriving community of girls and women who play the sport. Hockey is not made more violent because the girls are wearing helmets and body armor. It is made a little safer. Lacrosse will be a little safer, too.
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My daughter played Lacrosse at the college level. I was always nervous when she would be defending, because a errant pass or shot could injure. Plus there was always the wise guy taking a swipe at the ball reaching over the head. I think it's a good idea. I also think it's up to the refs to call any violation immediately.
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After reading this article, I think the approach to concussion management in women's lacrosse, and all field sports for that matter, is flawed. In 2014, I sustained one final blow to my head - my 9th concussion in my lifetime, the only one not sports related - and given my prior history, I sustained a horrible TBI that has completely derailed my life (and I was hit by a male golfer while eating lunch, who neglected to yell "fore" when is ball was going so out of bounds I'm still baffled by it - but shout out to my fellow female golfers out there, looks like we mastered golf quite better than our male counterparts...). I was 26 at the time, and received my first concussion, where I was knocked out briefly, in kindergarten playing soccer at recess. Over the course of my entire athletic career I would sustain 7 more until my TBI - a lot of minutes playing between eight years of soccer, eight years of field hockey, 18 years of golf and 22 years of lacrosse - including a Division 1 colleagiate and post-collegiate stint. And the amount of concussions I received playing lacrosse? They totaled one.
Any sport with such complicated equipment rules and arcane game rules is not for me. I'd last about a day at practice and then join the cross country team. The fact that all you have to do is to tie your shoes to run cross country makes it my kind of sport. I figure I'd be done with practice before the lacrosse players figured out what headgear to wear.
I'm going to get killed for saying this, but girls still want to look pretty no matter what they are doing, and this ridiculous-looking headgear makes them look like Power Rangers and Starship Troopers. Head injuries, of course, are serious business never to
be taken lightly, but so is the prospect of people on the sidelines collapsing from laughter when they see you. Let’s get rid of the beetle-monster headgear and start over.
be taken lightly, but so is the prospect of people on the sidelines collapsing from laughter when they see you. Let’s get rid of the beetle-monster headgear and start over.
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So happy that you came out from under your rock to remind women that how they look is more important than how they think. Whats a little brain damage compared with the embarrassment of unsightly headgear? I, for one, only play sports for the opportunity to run around in short shorts and tight jerseys so the boys can get a better look at what I've got. We all know"Men don't make passes at girls that wear glasses. . . or protective headgear."
You haven't seen the girl's on my boys' team --the school doesn't have a girls' team, and the girls don't want one, they want to play with the boys. One of the girls is also on the football team in the fall. These are 13 year olds who know pads and helmets make sense. And they play tough.
"...which has been played in North America for about a century."
It's been played by First Nations people for God-knows how long. The settlers in New France (Quebec now) were playing it in 1740. It became Canada's national sport in the 1860's. That's a lot longer than "about 100 years."
I guess Aboriginals and Canadians don't count as part of "North America"...??
It's been played by First Nations people for God-knows how long. The settlers in New France (Quebec now) were playing it in 1740. It became Canada's national sport in the 1860's. That's a lot longer than "about 100 years."
I guess Aboriginals and Canadians don't count as part of "North America"...??
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HA! Thank you! Finally!
They mean girls lacrosse. Guys lacrosse had been played for centuries before women's lacrosse ever came into the picture (in 1890).
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Yet, I read that statement to mean that girl's and women's lacrosse has been played here for about a century. Not the game itself.
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Uh, why not just make the ball softer?
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It's not the same game with a softer ball. Most concussions in women's lacrosse aren't even because of ball impact, but more so because of the sticks (which are metal). If the solution was to replace the ball, there would actually probably be more concussions (softer balls are harder to pick up, meaning more girls going down for a ground ball, then probably going to get hit or rammed into). When it rains a lot outside and we move into the gym to practice, we play with tennis balls, and they're almost impossible to catch most of the time. Trust me, it's not as simple as changing the ball.
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Agreed. We've introduced a new ball to the market that is substantially softer. www.guardianpearl.com
Would you change a baseball? or a football? No. Just make girls and boys wear helmets. I'm a female coach of a boy's lacrosse team with 4 girls on the team (including my daughter). I am sorry that people feel the girls' game is more "graceful". In principle I can't support anything that has a different, softer version for girls/women. Thanks for the insult but I can hold my own. Yes, require helmets. Yes, let the girls have contact. We aren't talking tackles here--and I've seen what happens on a soccer field with no padding, so I'm not deluding myself that the game is gentler just because contact isn't officially allowed. Sorry, but just play.the.same.game.
I am a big fan of the professional National Lacrosse League and the love the sport - especially the indoor version. The men's game has helmet's both indoor and outdoor. The women's game has been boring though and more genteel. Fine, I can accept that for safety reasons. Still, if I had a daughter who wanted to play, I would be a bit reticent of supporting her playing without a helmet. CTE is just too much of a threat from contact sports, so I welcome the helmets and I don't care what anyone else thinks about changing the nature of the game. It needed changing anyway.
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If you don't have a child that plays the sport and you don't watch it why do you think the people that have something to do with the sport care about your opinion of it? Believe it or not, not every sport or activity out there is going to be designed and suited to satisfy your viewing pleasure. Get over yourself.
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CTE is a symptom of helmet sports, not something a helmet protects you from.
But if we've learned anything form the NFL, helmets don't prevent CTE. Coaches need to teach their players safe techniques and most importantly, limit or eliminate contact at practice. Helmets are not the magic bullet and may even exacerbate the problem.
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