Major League Lacrosse

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Major League Lacrosse
Sport	Lacrosse
Founded	1999
Inaugural season	2001
No. of teams	10
Country	United States
Current champions	Philadelphia Barrage
Official website	MajorLeagueLacrosse.com

Major League Lacrosse is a professional field lacrosse league played in the United States. MLL began play in the summer of 2001. MLL was founded by Jake Steinfeld, Dave Morrow and Tim Robertson in 1999. Steinfeld is well-known for creating the "Body By Jake" line of exercise equipment and videos. Morrow is a former All-American lacrosse player and the president of Warrior Lacrosse.

The season runs from May to August. MLL rules that differ from traditional lacrosse rules include: a two-point goal line 15 yards from each goal, a 60-second shot clock, a limit of three long-stick defensemen per team, the elimination of the restraining box and the release of all players on the face-off. The 60-second shot clock was changed from a 45-second shot clock in 2005.

MLL announced on March 9, 2005, that the league would expand to Los Angeles for the 2006 season; the team will play its home games at The Home Depot Center and will be operated by AEG, Inc. The league announced on July 2 that Denver, Colorado would also be an expansion city with a team playing at INVESCO Field at Mile High. The league later added teams in Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California and created a western conference for these teams, which started in the 2006 season.

The league was divided into the American Division — Boston, Bridgeport (moved to Philadelphia in 2004) and Long Island — and the National Division — Baltimore, New Jersey and Rochester — from 2001 until 2005. The league played a 14-game regular season its first two years; in 2003, the schedule was cut to 12 games.

The MLL plans to add two more western expansion teams in 2008. Cities under consideration are Columbus, Dallas, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis.^[1][2][3]

[edit] Teams

Major League Lacrosse team locations

[edit] Eastern Conference

[edit] Western Conference

[edit] Franchise movement

• Bridgeport Barrage (2001–2003) → Philadelphia Barrage (2004–Current)
• Baltimore Bayhawks (2001-2006)→ Washington Bayhawks (2007-Current)

[edit] MLL Championship Games

See also: Steinfeld Cup

[edit] League Officials

• 1999-2002 - Gabby Roe (Executive Director)
• 2002-03 - Matthew Pace (Executive Director)
• 2003-04 - David Gross (Chief Operating Officer)
• 2004- - David Gross (Commissioner)

[edit] League Office

• 1999-01 - East Rutherford, NJ
• 2001-04 - Secaucus, NJ
• 2004-present - Boston, MA

[edit] References

1. ^ May, Shaun (2006), Slash Magazine, pp. 5
2. ^ MLL Expansion. Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.
3. ^ About MLL. Major League Lacrosse. Retrieved on 2006-09-24.

[edit] See also

• Steinfeld Cup
• Major League Lacrosse All-Star Game
• Major League Lacrosse MVP Award
• Major League Lacrosse Rookie of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Coach of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Defensive player of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Offensive player of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Goaltender of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Iron Lizard of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse first overall collegiate draft choice
• Major League Lacrosse Sportsman of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Most Improved Player of the Year Award
• Major League Lacrosse Community Service Award
• List of MLL seasons
• List of professional lacrosse players
• National Lacrosse League - the men's indoor lacrosse league in the United States and Canada
• Sports league attendances

[edit] External links

• Major League Lacrosse
• Lacrosse Photos by Robert Swanson
• History of the game of Lacrosse