NLL Insider

When I have conversations with individuals who are associated with and inside of the NLL, one word comes up time and time again that is a constant question in the mind of potential investors … stability. 

Maybe I am biased, maybe I’m wearing rose-colored glasses, maybe I’m overly optimistic, but after seeing the battles this weekend I’m confident that lacrosse is going to be just fine.  Obviously, teams need the right market to survive and ultimately be profitable.  One thing is for certain, league execs, ownership, players, fans, staff, coaches, and management all share one common quality … passion.  This defining quality makes our sport unique, drives us, and unites us as a family. 

After watching some new rivalries develop this weekend, it might be best to focus on the positive rather than the negative.  We all know what happened, and I’m not going to give my take on it, but I do want to focus on how passionate the people are in this sport.   I’m not going to justify the decision that Glenn Clarke made, but he’s not a bad guy and neither is Sean Pollock.  The situation is unfortunate, but in Glenn’s defense, I’m sure I’ve said worse things to Glenn and his players on the floor, and he has always been a great guy to me off the floor. 

I hope this situation blows over, but this incident was instigated by how intense our nights are on the floor.  It doesn’t make it right, but we truly do compete on an emotional level that is very passionate and honest.  That being said, I’m not sure if what we are doing game in and game out can technically be analyzed.

I’m really tired of reading articles that try to analyze the NLL’s presentation of the word “product.”  Do we have customers? Yes, our fans.  Are we something that they are paying to see?  Yes, we are.  But I’ll tell you right now that the most interested I was in the WWF was when Brett Hart spat in Vince McMahon’s face, because that was real and very intense.  If I hear one more journalist compare our league to the WWE, I may snap. 

The rivalries deeply rooted in our sport stem from different leagues, different teams, and different levels of competition.  I wanted to rip Jason Crosbie’s head off during the Mann Cup, but suiting up with him the other night against Chicago I would have taken a bullet for him, and I know that he would have done the same for me.  He’s that type of guy, and the vast majority of players in this league are those types of guys. 

We bleed together on a weekly basis, hate each other on the floor, and unite with one another for the greater good of the team and the sport.  Don’t, for a second, think that I don’t hold a grudge.  Everybody in this league has guys that they want to smash or see smashed, and I’m sure I’m on a lot of those lists for various reasons. 

All that being said, I do know this, after Hulk Hogan stole Elizabeth from the Macho Man, I’m sure they all shared a few beers that night.  You wouldn’t see that in the NLL, or any professional sport for that matter. 

That’s all it is, we are athletes, passionate athletes, and we are dedicated to playing this game honestly and with passion.  We go through a lot; we succeed and make mistakes just like every other individual on this planet.  I’m certainly not excusing us from our responsibility to represent our organizations, league, and ourselves appropriately.  But I do want people to know that we care as much, if not more, than the average professional athlete.  

At the end of the day we all have short memories, just like Randy Savage.

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