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esides being arguably the best player in the world, Tom Schreiber might also possess the game’s coolest head. The 2019 Premier Lacrosse League Midfielder of the Year and Archers LC captain rarely dabbles in hyperbole. His default setting is understated. Yet, Captain America broke character momentarily when he echoed his teammates’ reactions about the PLL’s innovative solution to play amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Everyone is pretty psyched to play lacrosse,” Schreiber said in an interview Tuesday night. “We’re certainly happy that we have something to look forward to now. I can’t wait.”

The news that there will be professional lacrosse this summer became official the next morning when PLL co-founder, CMO and Atlas LC midfielder Paul Rabil appeared on NBC’s “Today” show to announce that the PLL would adopt a fanless and fully quarantined two-week tournament format. While initial contingencies included a delayed, full season and an abbreviated slate of games, the tournament model proved the most viable scenario after the season was postponed indefinitely on April 10. 

“We’re also now the first team sports league in North America to announce that we have a solution that is both medically safe for our players and all who are involved,” Rabil said from the PLL’s El Segundo, Calif., office with the championship trophy visible behind his right shoulder. 

The route for one of the PLL’s seven teams to claim that hardware will drastically vary from the league’s original tour-based model. 

“You look at a normal season like a marathon,” Waterdogs LC defenseman Brodie Merrill said. “This will feel more like a sprint.” 

The PLL Championship Series Powered by Ticketmaster will start July 25 and consist of 20 games over 16 days. A 14-game group play phase will determine seeding for a single-elimination tournament. All the games will be broadcast on NBC’s networks and streaming platforms. 

“I can’t imagine how there could be any other option at this point,” said Jim Stagnitta, coach of the Whipsnakes, who claimed the inaugural PLL championship last September in overtime against the Redwoods. “I give them a ton of credit for being able to pull this together and being creative to give the players an opportunity to showcase themselves.” 

Merrill, a 16-year veteran of professional lacrosse who has played in the last four world championships for Team Canada, brought up the potential similarities to the vibe of that quadrennial event. He also noted where the PLL stands apart because of its heightened competitive balance and parity. 

“The physicality and the speed of the game will be so much quicker, so I’m curious to see how that plays out,” said Whipsnakes long-stick midfielder and captain Michael Ehrhardt, who was the MVP of the 2018 world championship for Team USA.

Rabil’s announcement gained from the The Washington Post, Variety, The Athletic and other mainstream media outlets. Rabil told Sports Illustrated that the league has been working in conjunction with the White House’s sports task force and has established its own COVID-19 medical committee. 

The NBC Sports press release stated that the PLL would implement regular COVID-19 preventative measures throughout the tournament and restrict all travel in and out of the yet-to-be-determined location. One possible venue is IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where the league held its training camp in 2019 and had planned to do so again this spring. 

“In order for all this to work, there needs to be extensive medical guidance and expertise,” said Schreiber, who also works as a general analyst for the PLL. “I know every scenario that was being looked at started with the question, ‘Is this safe?’ That was the most important consideration.” 

On social media, there was an outpouring of enthusiasm from the PLL’s players and the lacrosse community that centered on the league’s proactive approach to fill the current void of live sports during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the timing of the announcement provides a longer runway to make sure all the protocols are in place to ensure the health and safety of those involved, it also offers the chance for added exposure during the timeframe NBC previously had scheduled for the Olympics. 

Central to the league’s capacity to roll out the innovative undertaking is its size. 

“We have power in numbers,” Rabil said on “Today.” He noted that the league’s all-in number of players, coaches and operations staff is around 300 people. 

“We have the advantage of being small in comparison to other professional team sports leagues,” Schreiber said. “We’re able to move pretty quickly.”

“It puts us in a position to do things that other professional leagues can’t do,” Chaos LC coach Andy Towers said, adding that he applauded the PLL’s direction to cement the league’s current base while also drawing in new sports fans.

The players were informed of the condensed format during a virtual town hall meeting Monday. Atlas LC and All-World attackman Ryan Brown said that while his outlook this spring “went in waves” when he saw one major sports league after the other postpone indefinitely then heard rumors about their proposed plans to resume play, his confidence in his teammate and the league never wavered. 

“I always thought we would find a way to play because I know Paul and how hard he works,” Brown said as he navigated the aisles of a Target outside Dallas. “He puts so much time and effort into it that he wasn’t going to let it fall by the wayside. I didn’t know when or what the solution would look like, but I knew we would be doing something.”

There are likely no shortage of questions revolving around the implementation of the strategy, where the championship series will take place and the complexities for preparing for the radically different format. Still, Wednesday’s announcement was the first step to fulfill the hopes of the players and lacrosse fans alike. 

“The response has been consistent across the board,” Towers said. “These guys are so jacked that we’re going to get a chance to play. I think we’re all coming to grips with a total understanding of how it is going to work, but it’s not lost on the players or the coaches that the league is doing everything they can to make it a go this summer. That resonates with all of us, and we all really appreciate it."