You'll Be Playing Fantasy Lacrosse on a Major Fantasy App
Fantasy football takes over offices from September through January. Could fantasy lacrosse take over offices during the summer months? Just imagine the fun fantasy managers would have naming their teams. We expect team names like Fields of Gold, Gutty’s Gang and Keepin’ it McCool.
Plausibility: 3/5
With the No. 1 overall pick, Rambo’s Rampagers select ...
The End of Draws and Faceoffs as we Know Them
Could there be a scenario in which draws and faceoffs are essentially eliminated from lacrosse? Probably not. The operative words here are “as we know them.”
As the small-sided iteration of the game continues to grow with Olympic implications, World Lacrosse has looked to reduce the number of draws to speed up the game. Taylor Cummings understands the reasoning in that sense, but she never wants to see the draw truly eliminated.
“I understand, especially when we’re getting into the small-sided stuff, they want to push the pace,” she said. “And part of the beauty of lacrosse is how fast it is. By eliminating draws between every goal, it pushes the pace and makes it faster. I still am very much pro-draw when it comes to the actual collegiate game, World Cup game.”
Count Sammy Jo Tracy among the draw’s supporter, too.
“I believe it’s a beautiful part of our game,” she said. “I believe it shows advanced skill.”
Cummings said the draw allows players to specialize and impact games in such a way that they perhaps couldn’t otherwise.
Trevor Baptiste, considered by many as the best faceoff man in lacrosse history, is an advocate of his specialty, but knows there are changes on the horizon that could affect how his craft is viewed.
“I would tell the coaches, ‘Let the faceoff guys play,’ but the faceoff guys have to be hungry to do other things except face off,” he said. “So you’re going to go after a guy and want the guy on your team that maybe instead of winning 70 percent of faceoffs, you’ll take a 55-percent guy who can play both sides.”
The faceoff was eliminated from college lacrosse in 1979, but the move was met with harsh criticism. That could still be the case if it were eliminated today, leaving the likelihood slim. However, changes could be on the way.
“Maybe a ball drop,” Baptiste suggested. “I don’t know.”
Plausibility: 4/5
We're not saying they’ll entirely disappear. But some changes? Sure.
The NCAA Tournament Expands to 64 Teams and Bracket Pools Take Off
The Division I men’s tournament featured 17 teams last season. The women’s tournament featured 28 teams. Could either (or both) expand to 64? As more universities add lacrosse, the expansion of the tournament would seem to be a foregone conclusion. Of course, 64 teams is an ambitious goal, but imagine the craze of filling out a tournament bracket. May Madness can truly take off.
Plausibility: 1/5
With currently just 73 men’s Division I teams, 64 seems like a stretch.
All Power Five Conferences Will Have Lacrosse
The Pac-12 already sponsors women’s lacrosse, with USC, Stanford and Colorado achieving varying levels of success. It’s only a matter of time before other Power Five schools jump in to sponsor both men’s and women’s lacrosse. As the game continues to grow nationwide, the Pac-12 and SEC could benefit from adding programs in a sports landscape that continues to evolve.
In a March 2018 interview with US Lacrosse Magazine, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott opened up about the possibility of adding men’s lacrosse.
“There’s a lot of interest,” Scott said. “The footprint of our six states has a lot of lacrosse. They are all markets where youth lacrosse is booming. As a result, people close to our universities, like alumni and donors and employees, are evangelists of the sport. It’s on people’s radars, but it comes with challenges.”
Scott said many of the roadblocks come down to funding.
“It’s not easy in this day and age with the financial pressures on our universities,” he said. “All the focus on expenses, it’s not easy to add a sport. The fact that we’ve added lacrosse is in recognition of the growing popularity and interest our schools have in competing at the highest level.”
Could it happen? Sure. But with so much money tied up in football, basketball and other sports in these conferences, a drastic change could be needed.
Plausibility: 1/5
If the money’s right, but there’s not a single Big 12 School with varsity lacrosse right now.
Lacrosse Sevens
Much has been made about the value of small-sided play in youth lacrosse and beyond. Through US Lacrosse’s Lacrosse Athlete Development Model, players have experimented with small-sided play. Sports like rugby, cricket, field hockey and basketball have developed similar small-sided alternatives.
As part of the push for Olympic inclusion, World Lacrosse and the Blue Skies Working Group have released a version of lacrosse that features a 6-v-6 format. Add one more field player, and lacrosse fans, get ready for Lacrosse Sevens in 2040.
Plausibility: 4/5
We’ve already seen small-sided competition, and the Olympic push is real.
A New Nation Will Emerge in a World Championship Final
Japan vs. the United States in the world championship final?
Lacrosse continues to grow in the U.S. and beyond. World Lacrosse has made it a mission to have 100 member nations playing lacrosse as part of Project 100, launched in 2019. That growth will come to fruition by 2040, when dozens of nations will be competitive on the world stage.
One will even crack a world championship final. It could be Japan. Maybe Israel. Or maybe a grassroots program like Jamaica?
Plausibility: 2/5
Given the strength of traditional powers, it’s unlikely. But possible.
Virtual Reality on the Field
Two years ago, the hit item at Lax Con was Virtual Goalie, a virtual reality headset and stick that simulates a lacrosse goalie stopping shots.
By 2040, virtual reality will be as vital to training as, well, reality. College and professional players will be able to strap on VR headsets and train in live-action settings. The NFL recently partnered with Zebra Technologies to provide augmented reality for players to train for in-game situations. It won’t be long before lacrosse embraces the power of VR and AR.
Plausibility: 1/5
Practice in your living room? Count us in.