Anonymous wrote:A sport for white boys ~ long tradition of being able to avoid competition from more gifted African American athletes.

This. Rich people see it as their kid's ticket because there is no competition from anyone but privileged white kids who, let's face it, aren't good athletes in general. In every other sport there is competition from kids from all over the country and various socio-economic backgrounds, not so for lacrosse. It lets rich white kids excel at a sport when they otherwise wouldn't. Hopefully it will spread to poorer schools and areas so those folks can take advantage of the scholarship money and easier admission standards.

Potential rapists.

This negative stereotype of lacrosse players is driven, as are most stereotypes, largely by ignorance and the tendency of the human mind to generalize.  First of all, the notion that lacrosse players are “very cocky”, “think they are it”, “arrogant” – well, yeah!  And so are soccer players, football players, hockey players, basketball player….  That describes almost any elite male athlete.  Yes, there are a handful of very successful male athletes who are not outwardly cocky or arrogant, but for the most part it is just a show (at the college and pro level it makes one more marketable).  The very attributes that allow one to be an exceptional athlete on the field, court or ice – bursting with testosterone, supreme confidence in one’s ability, a perception that I am better than the rest, just happen to be annoying and offensive off the field.  A kid who brims with humility does not usually enjoy a ton of on-field success. 

 

As to the perception of rich and white, this is interesting and I continue to evaluate it.  We have played rec lacrosse in two different areas.  One was far from affluent and one was relatively affluent.  At the rec level, lacrosse is not an expensive game – you can get by with $200 of gear or less (much cheaper if you are willing to go on craiglist and buy used).  Yes, you can spend many times that on the latest and greatest, but you can do that in other sports too.  Dear god, how many basketball shoes sell for $300 plus?  That is more than my son’s top of the line stick (which I only shelled out for after he had been playing for several years).    Travel lacrosse cost more, but so does travel soccer, AAU basketball (I have heard, don’t have any direct experience), etc.  We purposefully stayed away from hockey due to the high cost of ice time and travel.  Most travel lacrosse programs offer scholarships to those who can’t afford it.

 

I guess the biggest reason for this rich kid perception is that in this area the best high school teams tend to be the private high schools (IAC and WCAC).  Obviously, not too many poor kids go to schools that are $15-35k per year (although I guess some get a scholarship).


As to the lack of non-white kids in the sport, it probably goes to role models.  But, more black kids are starting to play the sport.  Jim Brown played it 50 years ago.  The Bratton brothers were stars at UVA just a few years ago.  Some of those minority players who do play are very good, some are not.  Obviously, if as many black or latino kids played lacrosse as they do basketball, football, and soccer, then the top ranks would represent them in greater proportion.  Maybe that day will come.  There certainly are no barriers to it, other than perception.  Most minority kids probably see the prevalence of football and basketball on TV and decide to play those.  That is how my son started playing his first sports (football and basketball).  You have to work hard to actually find a lacrosse game on TV and be exposed to it.  I did not play lacrosse growing up, and it was only through an encounter with a parent at my son’s elementary school that he got into it.  Interesting anecdote on this – a black colleague of mine lives in Baltimore and commutes to DC, and when we were talking about the game he said, “lacrosse is so big in my area that even the black kids walk around with sticks in their hands.”  It’s a matter of exposure.  Also, anyone who dreams of getting rich from their athletic talent is wasting their time with lacrosse. 

 

I think you just have to keep an open mind, be aware of any tendency in a group, and work to keep you and yours from harm.  My son is an excellent lacrosse player about to enter high school.  I love watching him play (he is also a very good football player, so no, not just good at the “rich white kid sports”) and hope he goes on to a great high school and college career.  But, I am aware of the negative reputation of the sport and I have already talked with him about the perception that lacrosse players are jerks, and I have told him it would break my heart if he turned into that.  I’ve made it clear that as much as I love the fact that he is good and I enjoy watching him play, I would rather he be an average athlete who is a decent human being than a star who is a jerk I can’t be proud of.  I am hoping he can be both, with my guidance.  In fact, I’ve said hey, you can help change that.  Be one of the better players on your school’s team and be a nice kid, and then others will say “X” plays lacrosse and is a nice guy, maybe lacrosse players are not all that bad. 

Anonymous wrote:Football players- Big physical guys, not the sharpest tool in the shed

Basketball- African American, physically gifted and for the most part underprivileged (until they get that big NBA contract haha)

Wrestlers- rough, and not so smart (don't ask why)

Lacrosse- good looking All American privileged white kids, I think of prepsters who think they are "it" and elite colleges

Ice hockey....

My husband was a lacrosse player. He is american born chinese.

Football players- Big physical guys, not the sharpest tool in the shed

Basketball- African American, physically gifted and for the most part underprivileged (until they get that big NBA contract haha)

Wrestlers- rough, and not so smart (don't ask why)

Lacrosse- good looking All American privileged white kids, I think of prepsters who think they are "it" and elite colleges

It's not just lacrosse. It is all the team sports.

What do you think of football players?
What do you think of basketball players?
What do you think of wrestlers?

None of the responses are going to be positive. It's like a name you irrationally hate because somebody in middle school was mean to you.

Depends on where you are:

UVA/UMD: Spoiled stupid white kids

Selective Schools: Spoiled smart white kids who one day will be your boss.

My son is a good kid and loves the sport. He doesn't fit the negative stereotype nor do his teammates. I'm not a fan of categorizing people based on stereotypes. If others do, that is there issue, not my son's or mine. I think in life you do the things you enjoy and let others fret about stereotypes or negativity or whatever. He loves it so I love it.

A sport for white boys ~ long tradition of being able to avoid competition from more gifted African American athletes.

But if he likes the sport ~ you are over-thinking this.

Entitled little shits.

Lots of threads already on this.

Anonymous wrote:I think in general lacrosse is looked at as a sport played by privileged kids. Rich, white, affluent and upwardly mobile with sights on getting into an equally elitist college to play lacrosse and cohort with fellow privileged kids. That is my perception. I don't think it applies to all but many.

I don't think where you are from has much relevance.

I doubt if you saw a kid with a Montgomery Village Lacrosse shirt on your brain would go to "rich, white, affluent and upwardly mobile".

Also, if you are from Montgomery Village your less likely to think the way you think.

I think in general lacrosse is looked at as a sport played by privileged kids. Rich, white, affluent and upwardly mobile with sights on getting into an equally elitist college to play lacrosse and cohort with fellow privileged kids. That is my perception. I don't think it applies to all but many.

I don't think where you are from has much relevance.

If you have Bethesda Lacrosse gear on yes.

If you have MVSA (Montgomery Village Sports Association) lacrosse gear on not so much.

I have been hearing a lot of "bad press" on them. Like they are considered to be very cocky, rich, arrogant and entitled. This stereotype really bothers me. My son is going into 9th grade and a top player (by all accounts) but in no way is he this way. I wonder if they are looked at this way across the board?