Lacrosse was created by Native Americans from Canada around the early 17th Century, making it one of the oldest team sports to exist today. Because the sport is so old, there have been many alterations made to modernize the sport, regarding in game dynamics such as player numbers and the equipment used.  The purpose of this essay is to use the photos selected to explain the evolution of lacrosse and analyze how and why the sport has changed from the early 17th century to current day. 

Originating as a tribal game, lacrosse was created by several different tribes of Native Americans in the Canada area. Although these tribes had similar games, they did not all play the same form of the game at first, having different variations such as time length and number of people. The first photo describes what one of the first games of lacrosse, or a “ball-play,” would look like. In the middle of the wide-open field you can see hundreds of Native Americans running around. These would be the people participating in the ball play while the others standing on the left side are the spectators. As shown in the picture, the entire terrain that the Native Americans were in was turned into a playing field with no out of bounds and generally using trees as goals. Thousands of tribe members would gather to watch and play, making the game of lacrosse a very special tradition and sport for these Native American cultures. Materials needed to play the sport were very limited back then, making it very easy to play where and when ever. No formal equipment was used during this time therefore the sport was very physical. Image 2 shows what one of the lacrosse sticks would look like from the early 17th century time period. This image shows how the Native Americans were so suitable to nature and the things around them, turning a simple stick and strings into a piece of equipment they could use for a sport. Lacrosse was very important to those who created it, making each match a tribal celebration rather than just a simple sports match. 

Descending from Canada to different parts of the United States, such as the Eastern Coast, lacrosse has become one of the fastest growing sports today, but it wasn’t always that way. Being a fairly smaller sport, lacrosse didn’t begin peaking everyone’s interest until the late 1900’s and early 2000s. From the early 1700’s to the early 2000’s, the sport has changed drastically. Rather than just being a match hundreds of people could show up and play in, lacrosse has become an organized sport consisting of 10 people on the field for each team with designated out of bounds lines and goals, very similar to the sport of Hockey as many would argue. During the early 2000s people would start seeing lacrosse superstars like Michael Powell displayed in the third image. These super stars would be very important in spreading the sports popularity because kids began to look up to these players as role models. 

With attention from colleges and eventually a professional league, the sport of lacrosse was drawing everyone’s attention. From the images of lacrosse today it is clear that the elements of the sport have changed greatly, but the main idea has stayed the same. Rather than just having a stick, players now have a full set of equipment containing a helmet, shoulder and elbow pads, gloves, and a stick along with a set of referees to judge each game. Not only has the game developed more officially over the years, but they have also made the sport a lot safer with the addition of padding. The last image of the 2016 NCAA Lacrosse Championship shows what the sport has grown into today. The crowd in the background represents the large audience of fans there are for the sport now and how that will continue grow as time goes on. The sport is now spreading across the United States due to the attention brought by the NCAA and Professional leagues. Overall lacrosse has grown 10% annually over the past 15 years, with a 39.5% growth in college and a 200% growth in high school.

Lacrosse is a prime example of a game created in olden times that has been modified and tweaked to fit into our current day society. The sport was created as a method of tribal celebration and conformity but the meaning of the game has changed as time has gone on. Today, the sport is played as a way of entertainment, giving viewers a team to watch and cheer on. Even though elements have changed in the game, the main idea to score in the opponent’s goal hasn’t changed. In order for the game to succeed in today’s society, it needed to be organized team oriented sport, such as soccer or basketball, because that’s what people watch today. Even though the game played currently isn’t the same as it once was originally, the Native American’s are still given respect as the founders of the sport of lacrosse.
