The Image of Organized Lacrosse and the Media
By: Anthony Hardy
By: Anthony Hardy
The game of lacrosse is one that is near and dear to my heart, and it saddens me to witness the negative stereotypes and connotations of what it means to be a lacrosse player. In my past experiences, I have encountered many who questioned my love of the sport simply because of the color of my skin. I would like to argue that this racist and bigoted attitude is a result of the publicity of the sport and the large corporations that are responsible for its growth and image. In the game of lacrosse, it is very rare to see a pair of brown legs on the field.
In the lacrosse community, there is a very specific group of people who make up a large percentage of today's players. The upper- middle-class white male. Michael Cohen of the New York Times reports that although the sport remains largely white, the sport is growing and diversifying (Cohen, 2013). He also interviews Kyle Harrison, one of the best midfielders of all time at the college and professional ranks. “‘Half my team is black,’ said Harrison, who plays for Team STX on the LXM Pro Tour. ‘I was proud as hell the first time I walked on the field with those guys. I knew we had all been through the same thing, and we’ve all been the only guy on a lacrosse team before. When you start getting in those situations where you’re not the only one, you’re not the token black lacrosse player on a team, you start to feel more comfortable.’” (Cohen, 2013)
A series of studies conducted by the NCAA has found that white upper- middle-class players are more involved in organized lacrosse than any other societal group (Zgone, 2010). The same study from Zgone found that this lack of diversity is in part due the availability of the sport in particular areas (Zgone, 2010). This paper will argue that the that the lack of diversity in organized lacrosse is correlated to the use marketing to a limited group of people. First, I will discuss the history of lacrosse and its origins on the continent of North America. Second, I will explain the current state of lacrosse and discuss the large corporations that are responsible for most of the equipment and advertising for the game. Third, I will provide evidence that suggests that the marketing strategy deployed by these large companies have a direct correlation with the lack of diversity in organized lacrosse at all levels ranging from Youth to Professional.
Modern day lacrosse descends from and resembles games played by various Native American communities. These include games called dehuntshigwa'es in Onondaga ("men hit a rounded object"), da-nah-wah'uwsdi in Eastern Cherokee ("little war"), begadwe in Mohawk language ("little brother of war"), baaga`adowe in Ojibwe (Freelang, 2003) and kabucha in Choctaw (Haag, 2001). The first westerners to encounter lacrosse were French Jesuit missionaries in the St. Lawrence Valley. (e-lacrosse, 2016). During the 1630s, these missionaries witnessed the game and condemned it. They were opposed to lacrosse because it was violent, betting was involved, and it was part of the religion they sought to eradicate.
One missionary, Jean de Brébeuf, was the first to write about lacrosse and thus gave it its name; He described the Huron Indians playing in 1636. Some say the name originated from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse (e-lacrosse, 2016). Others suggest that it is simply a rough French translation for ‘of the stick’. (e- lacrosse, 2016).
According to studies conducted by the NCAA, Division I lacrosse consists primarily of white players. In 2009-10, less than 10 percent of student-athletes playing NCAA lacrosse were people of color. Just 2.2 percent of Division I men’s lacrosse players are [2.4 percent for women] black (Zgone, 2010). In Division III, 10.0 percent for male student-athletes and 5.6 percent for female student-athletes identify as a race other than white/non-Hispanic (Zgone, 2010). In Division II, 9.4 percent for male student-athletes and 13.6 percent for female student-athletes identify as a race other than white/non-Hispanic (Zgone, 2010). In fact, with all three divisions combined, the number is quite staggering. In the Men’s game, white athletes make up 91.4%, while the number drops to 90.6% in the women’s game.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the participation of minorities in collegiate lacrosse. Unfortunately, there has yet to be an in-depth study to quantify this data. Lacrosse was a popular Native American sport in the Pre-Columbian era in North America before European settlement (Eitzen & Sage, 2009). This sport has a rich tradition as the Canadian Parliament recognized it as Canada’s “national summer sport” (Vennum, 1994).
As the popularity and the visibility of lacrosse increase, the diversity in the sport lags behind. As stated previously, just 2.2 percent of Division I men’s lacrosse players are black, according to the most recent N.C.A.A. study (Zgone, 2010). As an African-American lacrosse player, I have heard my fair share of racial slurs and discrimination while on the field from parents, players, and coaches alike. The identity of the game is changing, and some people are not so welcome to the change.
The percentage of African American women playing lacrosse has also increased during that period. The increase has not only occurred in playing fields; strides, albeit small, have also been made in the coaching realm as well. Just four years, the Naval Academy named Rick Sowell as the head coach of its men’s lacrosse team (Snyder, 2012). Sowell is the only African American head coach in men’s collegiate lacrosse (Snyder, 2012).
The ideal lacrosse player is, unfortunately, a stereotypical image in the mind of the average person. This is because television and film have developed a false image of what a lacrosse player is. The most prominent pop culture icon of this would be the character Steve Stifler from the American Pie film franchise. Steve is stereotypical privileged, misogynistic, meat head lacrosse player. His family is loaded with money, and Stifler has yet to struggle financially in his young adult life. Whether right or wrong, once a sign or symbol is associated with a group, it is very difficult for others to distinguish the two. (Fiske, 1990). In many blockbuster films, lacrosse players are seen as stereotypical privileged, misogynistic, meat head jocks. In his book, Communication as culture: Essays on media and society, James Carey says, “communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed. A false reality can be developed, which only leads others to believe it (Carey, 1989).
In September of 2012, Warrior Lacrosse presented a controversial marketing campaign titled “Ninja Please.” (Lacrosse All-Stars). The company claimed that was simply a funny phrase, but it was seen by many as a play on words making fun of a phrase that is popular in many urban communities “Nigga Please”. Many players in the lacrosse world, mostly minorities of Asian and African decent, took offense to this slogan as it was seen to provoke racial tensions between minorities and whites in the game (Lacrosse All-Stars). Two professional African-American players refused to wear the company’s equipment until the canceled the slogan. Warrior initially refused, thus creating a wall of impending racism and insecurities among many of the sports participants. However, the game has not always been this way.
Brands such as Warrior, Maverik, Under Armour, and Epoch market their lacrosse products white upper middle-class athletes. These companies have little to no Black, Hispanic, or Native American lacrosse athletes featured in their commercials or endorsement deals. This is because these companies believe that there is not a market for players of color, therefore, these companies don't feel the need to waste resources. (Preston, 2013).
Another advertisement that caters to the “default” demographic of lacrosse players was released by Maverik Lacrosse in February of 2013. The ad, titled Maverik Lacrosse : The Decision is Yours [:60] on YouTube, tells the story of a young man who fails to make the lacrosse team, and works hard every day to one day win a championship. The advertisement does not feature one person of color, nor does it properly reflect the lacrosse community. Whilst the commercial promotes a positive message, it is upsetting that the company does not create advertisements that cater to all of their customers.
Once again, we have Warrior with another offensive ad. This time around, instead off offending minorities, it offended women. The ad is titled “Warrior Lacrosse | Evo Glove | Breakfast” on YouTube. The commercials description on YouTube reads, “The All-New Evo Lacrosse Glove from Warrior Lacrosse, featuring D30 Aero Foam zones and Cage FLX construction. The EVO is the game's new standard in lightweight protection from Warrior. Just Ask Your Sister.” The commercial begins with a 20 something white guy sitting at a table eating cereal. He goes on monolog to explain to you, the viewer, that your sister invited him over because you would not try on the new Evo Glove. It is heavily implied via the imagery that there is a sexual relationship at work. The ad not only objectifies women, but it also paints a negative image of what means to be a lacrosse player. Ads like this perpetuate the notion that lacrosse players are misogynistic douchebags. I believe that hinders others from participating in the sport because they do not want to be a part of such a culture.
Lacrosse is the perfect artifact for the semiotic scholar. In his book, “Introduction to Communication Studies”, John Fiske defines semiotics as, “the study of signs and the way they work. (p. 38)” He goes on to say that a sign is anything that represents something other than itself. The traditional lacrosse sticks, made from a single wooden cane shaped object and strung together with leather, represents a game created for religious reasons; Native American communities played lacrosse to honor the ‘creator.’ A game that is played to honor the creator of the land and its people. It also represents a heritage that is unmatched by any other on the continent of North America.
The modern day lacrosse, however, perpetuates an entirely different meaning. I asked my peers to tell me what the first thing that came to their minds when I asked them to describe a lacrosse player. Many of them mentioned the stereotype that I expect to hear from many others across the country. The idea that lacrosse players are rich, upper-class Caucasian males who come from very privileged backgrounds.
The behavior and background of many of the lacrosse players that I have come across over the years do nothing but perpetuate these myths even further. Then there are young men like me. My background is far from privileged. I come from a single parent household, I am an African-American, and I live in a two-bedroom townhouse. Nothing about me fits the mold that many people believe, and that is a strong example of how incorrect these stereotypes can be. The myths set forth by the media disguise the truth that lies behind the lives of many lacrosse players.
The media coverage of two recent cases did not help this image. The Duke lacrosse team, one of the NCAA Division I powerhouses, came under attack following accusations that three team members raped a North Carolina Central University student, who worked as a stripper, at a party one weekend. As a result of the accusations, Duke's head coach, Mike Pressler, was forced to resign and the remainder of Duke's season was canceled (ESPN Films).
During the investigation, the NCCU student was asked to identify the defendants from a select group of individuals; all the Duke lacrosse players. This was a mistrial in the sense that it forced the NCCU student to believe that the defendants were in this group and that she had to pick the players from this select group, even if she didn't see them. More than a year later, the charges were dropped due to a rogue prosecutor, Mike Nifong, who was disbarred for "dishonesty, fraud, deceit, and misrepresentation." Although the charges were dropped, the reputation still stands (ESPN Films).
These young men were innocent, yet the mass news coverage painted these young men as guilty criminals. Outraged students started petitions and encouraged faculty members to join them. A poster that "looked like a wanted poster" was distributed on campus and in nearby neighborhoods shortly after the allegations surfaced in March 2006 showing pictures and names of 40 members of the lacrosse team, urging them to "come forward" with false information on the alleged rape. Local and national news outlets began reporting this information as if were factual.
A few years later in Charlottesville, Virginia, lacrosse was once again shown in bad light. Both student-athletes on their respective lacrosse teams at the University of Virginia, Yeardly Love, and George Huegley found themselves in a deteriorating relationship, one that resulted in the murder of Yeardly. As a result, George Huegley was tried and charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to 26 years in prison (Szkotak).
Although I am a keen example of the opposite of a stereotype, companies such as Warrior, cater to the players that they believe fit this particular mold. Money talks and the money that is pumped into the sport comes from a particular society, the high brow society.
I will again use James Carey’s quote where he wrote, “communication is a symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintained, repaired, and transformed (Carey, 1989).” This stays true in the world of lacrosse and its marketing. The game is marketed to upper-middle-class white families, thus, the reality created is that the sport is only for people who are from upper-middle class white families.
A large barrier preventing many minorities from participating in the game of lacrosse is the high cost of participation. Nearly every one of the eight panelists interviewed by Lochary (2011) indicated that the cost of club lacrosse was the main barrier keeping minorities out of the sport. If the cost of playing at the club level cannot be reduced substantially, then other forms of play, especially for young players, must be explored. Walker mentioned that many minorities do not receive college scholarships due to the lack of exposure to college coaches and early playing experience (Lochary, 2011). A possible solution to this issue would be starting programs at middle schools, especially in those areas where the sport is already popular. In fact, participation in US high school lacrosse grew 52.8% from 1990 to2008 (Burton & O’Reilly, 2010).
Most Americans may not realize that Jim Brown was not just a Hall of Fame NFL running back; he was also a standout lacrosse player at Syracuse (Ricardi, 2011). If all potential minority athletes see is the typical white lacrosse player in advertisements and publications, then their interest of the sport is not going to escalate as much as if they saw someone of their own race.
This paper suggests that the lack of minority participation in organized lacrosse is in part due to the marketing and negative media influence. It summarized origins of the sport, it’s current standing and the companies who are responsible for growing the game. There are also numerous examples of the media promoting a negative and derogatory image of what it means to be a lacrosse player. I also found that many advertisements cater to the negative image that is already present. Many of these advertisements also exclusively feature white male athletes. This image may never change; however, it is up to the audience of these messages to form their own opinions.
References
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