The African American communities impact on Lacrosse

As one of the fastest growing Sports in America, Lacrosse is often stereotyped as a sport played by mostly white males in the North.  However, this stereotype is quickly being challenged as African Americans are making huge impacts across the Sport of Lacrosse.  Most notably the best player in division 1 is Duke Lacrosse’s Myles Jones.  He is the favorite for the Lacrosse equivalent of Heisman, an award known as the Tewaaraton trophy.  But he is just a small piece of lacrosse’s growing popularity amongst the African American community.  The 2016, 2017 and 2018 recruiting class currently has 3 African Americans that among the top 10 in their respective recruiting class. Nakeie Montgomery, Ricky Meizan and Nigel Andrews all are highly touted recruits that are set to star at the division one level.  Despite these advancements, it’s important to understand the impact that African Americans have already had on the game of Lacrosse.  Arguably the best lacrosse player ever play the game was Jim Brown.  A college star in both football and lacrosse at Syracuse University, he was virtually unstoppable. In fact, he was so much more powerful than every other lacrosse player that they had to change the rule books in order to stop him.  Another player who has had a tremendous impact on the game is Tewaarton winner Kyle Harrison who played for Johns Hopkins University.  Also winner of the 2005 NCAA championship, he carried the Blue Jays by scoring two pivotal goals in a 9-8 classic vs Duke.  He is the last player to be an All American offensive midfielder as well as the best faceoff man in the country that year.  Harrison also revolutionized his respective position by being too quick and athletic to play him man to man with a defensive pole.  Instead teams resorted to zones and early shutoffs in order to combat his athleticism.  The game hasn’t seen anyone as athletic at the midfield position since Harrison.  Moving back to the present, Hampton University in 2016 became the first All African American University to own a division 1 lacrosse team.  The first historically all African American University is great first step for lacrosse and its efforts to encourage diversity in the game.  Hopefully in the next couple of years more schools will follow suit and lacrosse will be able to once and for all shed the stereotype of its exclusive nature.