The Duel of the Fates
PLL vs. MLL
There are going to be two pro lacrosse tournaments this summer. If you think that’s a bad thing then you’re probably reading the wrong newsletter. Are you lost? Mom, just hit back on the browser tab. No, the other…*sigh*.
Again, as of this week, two professional lacrosse tournaments with a [minor?] overlap are on their way from Major League Lacrosse and the Premier Lacrosse League, respectively. On the surface, it looks like a continuous flow of lacrosse will be suddenly pumped into your veins. And in many ways, that holds true, depending on your need/taste for intravenous lacrosse-viscous fluids. I’d love to think that the average lacrosse fan out there is just happy to see live lacrosse. Of course, that would be pretty stupid of me to believe because these two leagues have done an incredible job of setting up a war of attrition for the entire sports community’s attention.
You may have noticed that there haven’t been a lot of articles about the battle between Major League Lacrosse and Premier League Lacrosse. There’s a reason for that - neither league wants those articles to exist. They both want you to think that they operate autonomously and without care or regard for one another.
But friends, that is bullshit
The battle is real. There is an aggressor and there is a defender. The PLL is absolutely the aggressor. They try new things, they work hard to get their message out, and (most importantly) they promote their league with well-crafted social and conventional media. They also chase seemingly unattainable corporate sponsors and then wrangle them with an expert hand. But the one thing they do better than any lacrosse league ever has (yes, that includes indoor, so you might want to sit down if you weren’t already) is make their announcements into events. The PLL knows how to get the most out of everything they do. Even when they announced incomplete rosters for the 2020 Championship Series, they corrected it ASAP so you would barely notice. Imagine being smart enough to screw up and barely anyone notices. It’s legendary.
Conversely, the MLL does not do new things. They are a traditionally buttoned-up sports-focused league. They want you to go to games (or rather, they did when you could), root for teams, and maybe buy some merch. They don’t market their players well because they want your loyalty to the team first and foremost. This is how MOST team sports have always worked; though more successful mainstream leagues (like the NBA) have pivoted to more player-centric content. But there are still entire generations that are taught that you cheer for the team you love first and you have your favorite players second. It’s the complete opposite of the PLL’s model where you root for players and the players dictate your team selection because there are no geographical ties to bind you other than (maybe) your NCAA allegiances. The MLL is not good at making announcements or promoting players because they haven’t had to be; they were playing a low stakes game until the PLL came around. The thing that the MLL does have is history and history is a powerful thing. It’s so powerful that it built the PLL.
One of the things that PLL has done an incredible job of is promoting its players. The MLL has always been horrible at this. “Always” being a relative term; at its inception in 2001, the MLL was actually really good at this because they had an ESPN contract (and thus, ESPN resources) in a time when ESPN’s competitors were ill-equipped - and uninclined - to challenge them. In the modern landscape, every mainstream sports network has access to similarly vast resources. And the Premier Lacrosse League flat out uses those resources better from top to bottom. Has that translated directly into lucrative sponsorship dollars for every single rostered PLL player? No. But, that’s how the economics of niche sports work. And make no mistake - lacrosse is still a niche sport. Memo to lacrosse people across the industry: It’s okay to sell lacrosse as something other than “The Sport of the Future!” 1970’s soccer called, they want their tagline back and you’re a crook.
The irony of all of this is that if you combined the mentalities and approaches for both leagues you would have a perfectly balanced dagger to throw in the skull of Joe Sports Fan. Professional lacrosse - at its best - is fast-paced, exciting, and has lots of scoring. Do you know who likes scoring? America. Do you know who likes Tik Tok videos? Gen Z sports fans. Do you know who likes highlights? Literally everyone.
This is not to say that one league is better than the other. That’s not the point. I’m not even advocating for them to merge or anything ludicrous like that. The truth is that I found the pettiness amusing, but the hatred that the leagues have for one another has evolved into something truly visceral and caustic in the last few months. The point is that there is a line of demarcation that goes unacknowledged by so many people that are motivated by their own interests. There is value in watching both leagues. Do you want to live in a world where it’s not cool to watch Lyle Thompson because of the league he plays in? Imagine being someone that actually believes that.
I love professional lacrosse. I root for great games, great people, and great stories. I’m running on the platform of amazing lacrosse. That’s my agenda.
Their agenda is to make you pick their league and hate the other one. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to do that. You can love pro lacrosse in either incarnation and you can love players in both leagues. Anyone that’s making you choose a side has ulterior motives.
We are in for a truly wild month of what promises to be incredible lacrosse. The only choice you have to make as lacrosse fans is whether or not you want to enjoy it. If you do decide to do that, make sure to come back here in the weeks leading up to both tournaments. It’s going to be a fun ride.