Paul Rabil And The Rise Of Lacrosse

The sport of lacrosse has grown exponentially over the past thirty years. Many believe that lacrosse is only growing in the United States, but it is truly a global increase in participation. For example the Federation of International Lacrosse reported thirty-eight countries participating in the world championship tournament in 2014 (“Denver Final Recap”). With so many people picking up sticks for the first time lacrosse on every level is increasing. From the youth programs to the professional lacrosse leagues the sport shows no sign of slowing down. It is easy to understand why the “fastest sport on two feet” is also one of the fastest growing sports in the world. Before the Europeans travelled to the New World, the indigenous people were playing a number of different stickball games. These games all had

Rabil is a player in both the MLL and the NLL and has his hand in many of the lacrosse happening across the United States. In an article about Rabil, the journalist says “He’s a pioneer in that he has made a full-time career from lacrosse, something previously unheard of in a sport where pros usually need to find other jobs in the off-season to make ends meet” (Ciampaglia). This new idea of professional lacrosse players using the sport as a sole source of income shows growth in itself. Rabil credits his success in the sport to his work ethic and his idea that he “wanted to push the limits on what could really be done in lacrosse on and off the field” (Carp). This is very evident as Rabil has his own line of equipment as well as being a Red Bull sponsored athlete. Paul Rabil has also been noticed as the first millionaire in the sport of lacrosse (Soshnick). It is impossible for one man to be credited with the explosion of lacrosse, especially with the fervor at which it is growing, but Paul Rabil has been a pivotal reason that lacrosse is beginning to expand its