Lacrosse for Women

Posted by K.L. Amadio on May 10th, 2008 at 02:17am

Lacrosse has been a popular sport in North America for several centuries, and a sport generally played by men. Since the 1970’s, women have gained more esteem and press as participants of the game of lacrosse. Women’s lacrosse is the fastest growing segment of the sport and yet it still does not receive the same coverage as men’s lacrosse. Fewer women play the game than do men and as with most women’s sports, there are fewer spectators for women’s lacrosse games.

The rules of lacrosse differ for men and women. Men wear padding and are allowed physical contact while women’s lacrosse does not. Women wear safety gear like mouth guards and eye protection. Some women wear nose shields as well. The women’s field is larger which helps limit physical contact. Women’s lacrosse sticks have a more shallow pocket than the men’s stick. This results in a greater degree of difficulty catching the ball which also can not be passed with much speed.

Another difference is the number of players on the field. Women’s lacrosse teams have five mid fielders compared to the men’s three. This means that seven players are on defense or attack during play leaving four players and the goalie behind the mid field line. These players cannot cross midfield without receiving a penalty.

The area of play most different between men’s and women’s lacrosse is in checking. Women’s lacrosse does not check like the men do. When checking happens, the ball switches control as called by the umpire.

Lacrosse continues to be a very interesting sport around the world. Women are now able to play the game professionally, but as you can see the rules have been altered. Some think this is why women’s lacrosse has not gotten the recognition that it deserves. They feel unless the rules are the same as for the men, then they will never reach the same popularity status. It doesn’t appear that these rules will be changing though any time in the near future.

Tags: Exercise, lacrosse, lacrosse games, lacrosse teams, sport around the world

Popularity: 5% [?]

Under Exercise