Gender Differences In Women's Sport

To many people not familiar with the sport of lacrosse, a men’s game is just like a women’s game. There does not seem to be too many differences. That is the case in most sports. The only difference is the uniform and the gender. However, this is not true for the sport of lacrosse. Only the name is the same in this game. Looking at this pastime in detail, these two vary considerably in just about everything starting with, the equipment, the protective gear used and the amount of physical contact allowed.

While both men and woman have some similar guidelines to follow there are differences as well. One of the largest variations is the rule regarding physical contact. In the men’s game, stick checking and body contact is an essential part of

Men wear several pieces of protective equipment to shield areas of their body. According to US Lacrosse, the men are required to have a helmet certified under NOCSAE standards. As a result of the more aggressive nature of the men’s game players are also required to wear protective gear around the arms, thick heavy gloves, and shoulder pads. The men’s game is a contact sport, where the body is regularly hit therefore requires the players to wear full body and chest protection. Protective gear guards them against injury. The only form of protection the women are required to wear is a mouthguard and eye protection. Eye protection is required in the women’s game to prevent eye injuries and a fitted mouth guard prevents dental injuries. Because there is no form of contact allowed, it is not required that women wear head or body protection. Additional protective equipment is not necessary for the female players because the rules regarding contact are so

This piece of equipment has many dissimilarities as well. The lengths of the stick in the men’s games vary depending on the position played. There are short sticks, long sticks and goalie sticks. Each could potentially be a different length. In addition, the men’s stick has a mesh pocket to catch and carry the ball. For each player to be successful in their position, they must have the proper stick length and head. The short stick has major benefits for the positions of attackmen and midfielder. It is easier to control, which is imperative for dodging the opposing team and scoring from difficult angles. The long sticks are most commonly used by defenders giving the best possible chance of fending off the opposing attackmen trying to score. The pockets on the men’s heads are deep, allowing them to carry the ball a long distance. The much deeper pocket allows the player to cradle much more vigorously to keep from losing the ball. With deep pockets, men are able to shoot the ball much faster. The rules for the women’s sticks and pocket are quite different from the men. Every player on the field has the same length of stick and no pocket in the head is allowed. Since females do not have to worry about being hit, a shallow pocket is sufficient. This allows the women to move and pass easier rather than carry for a long distance like the men. Women do not need to cradle the ball as the men