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Hot Pot Of Lax: Where Is Under Armour Lacrosse?

Beware, today’s Hot Pot of Lax is SCALDING.

This week’s Hot Pot victim: Under Armour

Under Armour was easily one the biggest things in lacrosse over the last couple of years.  Their cold gear could be seen on any player in early season games, grey UA Ts were de rigueur off the field, and every Summer team under the sun aspired to rock Under Armour for their club uniforms.  When they came out with cleats, and Maryland signed lacrosse up with them, it looked like they were all set to challenge the big boys of the lacrosse world.  So what ever happened to that next leap in involvement?

Sure, they still sponsor Maryland and Loyola, and a host of other teams, as well as the HS All-American game, but they just don’t have the same dominance they used to.    Now, Nike, and a myriad number of smaller competitors, have started producing gear to wear under your pads (basically Under Armour) and have taken sublimation to the next level, so UA may have lost some ground there, but it’s not the main driver behind their recent perceived slippage.

The real reason that Under Armour is not as strong in the lacrosse scene anymore is because they have simply outgrown it.  UA relied on lacrosse as an extremely solid starting point, where they were able to test and develop products quickly, all while marketing and introducing themselves to a smaller sector of the sports world.  Once they had established themselves as a legitimate supplier of the lacrosse world, the transition to the big time was easier.  They began focusing more heavily on football, running and soccer, and didn’t enter the lacrosse pad market, as some thought they might.

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Easton is making helmets. Why isn’t Under Armour?

Under Armour took what they did well, and started doing that for larger sports.  Do what you know.  It totally makes sense, even if some in the lax community may feel a little abandoned.  Which actually doesn’t make that much sense, since UA was never a lax company.   They were started by a Maryland football player, so obviously the tie to lacrosse came quickly, but a lot of people (Connor Wilson included up until last year!) were sure, at one point or another, that UA was started by lacrosse players.  That’s just anecdote for how big their presence used to be.  They just had to be lax guys.  Well, they’re not.

They are performance apparel guys, who now make ever-improving cleats and sneakers.  More than following an STX model, it looks like they are on the Nike path to a certain extent, and will get their hands (feet first though!) into a diverse market of sports through shoes and clothing.  Maybe some day in the future, they’ll come back to lax, like Nike is doing now, and start producing pads.  Maybe they won’t.

The important thing is to realize what Under Armour actually is, and they you’ll understand why they haven’t been as focused on lacrosse lately.

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

– Judge Rules Duke Lacrosse Players Can Sue For False Arrest | Avvo

– Woman Who Falsely Accused Duke Lacrosse Players of Rape Charged With Stabbing Boyfriend | ABC News

– What is the Ideal Lacrosse Market? | In Lax We Trust

– Ryan Young paces Maryland lacrosse to a win at Virginia | Washington Post

– UAlbany Lacrosse Rallies Past Harvard, 12-11 | Fox23

– Goalie John Galloway sets record, leads Syracuse lacrosse to 13-11 victory | NJ.com

– Should we just hand ex-lacrosse player Will Yeatman a Patriots jersey now? | Boston Herald

– Was the NCAA Championship really that boring? | Rivals.com

– Red Bull Baggataway Tournament.  No pads.  Is this for real? | RedBullUSA.com

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LACROSSE VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Bishop Kelly vs. Eagle Women’s Lacrosse Highlights – These clips rival those of the world famous BHSVideoDad!

Fun fact: The BK girl’s lacrosse team is coached by Jeff Brunelle’s mom, JoJo. She’s led the Knights to 3 State Championships and a record of 86-15-1 over the past 6 seasons. The Knights are currently 5-2 in JoJo’s 7th season.

Editor’s note: Thanks to BKFootball.com for the link to this video!