In football, you see bunching to the helmets and slaps to the face mask. Because of the stop and go action of football and in game altercation is very unlikely. The play stops before anything can really get started. Additionally, football helmets are glued on.

In lacrosse and hockey, the action is non-stop and continues. Additionally, off-ball checking is allowed and necessary in lacrosse. Set a pick using a push/cross-check, expect a push/cross-check to prevent you from setting that pick. Combine the non-stop action, agressive nature, and throw in a stick that is used to manipulate your opponent, tempers flare and sticks are raised.

There are a lot of fights that occur due to high hits with the body, arms, and stick. A fight simply expresses, but your stick down, and lets see how tough you are.

And to go more in depth, there are ‘fights’ in all sports when someone breaks ‘the code’ or ends up giving an outrageous cheap shot, or throws a ball at a batters head. But, these fights are escalated into brawls. Hockey and lacrosse permit fighting, so instead of banning fighting and risk full out brawls constantly, hockey and lacrosse allow fighting to control isolated incidence.

Fighting is necessary because of cheap shots and the use of sticks and it controls tension from escalating into ridiculous drawls. Now you will say brawls happen in hockey and lacrosse. Your right, but the refs do have to ‘control’ a game, which is usually not the case in the events building up to 99% of all hockey and lacrosse fights.

Here’s an outside the box question for you… what about limiting the amount of off-ball crosschecking?  Would that work?  Or are people worried it would turn the game into something that it simply isn’t?

I played soccer in HS, football in college (poorly), basketball in HS, lacrosse in HS and college and I’ve ALWAYS found cheap shots to occur, so my question really boils down to this:

If other sports and athletes can suffer cheap shots without resorting to retaliation via actual fights, why can’t box lacrosse?

That is a 100% serious question, with no intention to offend!  I’m still learning the game, and the history, and I appreciate it when people are willing to help me get educated!

In a sport where defensive players are taught how to hit guys where they don’t have pads the refs will never catch everything. 

One difference you have to remember about lacrosse and hockey is that in hockey you can only hit the player who has the puck whereas in box lacrosse you can hit anyone on offense. This makes it a lot easier for hockey refs to keep track of the checks taking place in hockey. Even with this advantage high level hockey leagues still use a 2 ref system. As we all know even this system is not perfect.

So unless lacrosse switches to some 8+ ref system for games (obviously not going to happen) there will always be uncalled cheap shots and there will always be a need for self regulation.

I know that as a rookie I felt a lot safer and more confident on the floor knowing that Rouse and Irving had my back at all times.

OHL = Visors = Fighting

people say hockey needs fighting too, but college works just fine. So I don’t buy the whole fighting is required argument either.

I like NCAA hockey more than NHL hockey for that reason, fights are absolutely not allowed in the college game.

the term practice fight may not have been apt. but I think there is a difference between two guys showing off their fighting skills when trying to make a team and two guys throwing down in a game because of flagrant fouls or cheap shots.

So yes, calling it a practice fight may not have been perfect, but it was as close to the real thing as you can get without being the real thing (games), and I call that practice!

As to the argument for fighting in box lacrosse.  We’ll have this discussion soon.  But on your home turf!!!!

“So when two guys are both trying to make the team, and both want to be known as enforcers, it makes sense that they would get into a practice fight at tryouts.  The coaches want to see you score, pass, hit, play defense and throw down.  It’s the NLL.”

They aren’t ‘practicing’ their fighting ‘skills’. But you are correct in stating that these guys want to be considered reliable, team first, guys. Sticking up for team mates and not letting other teams take liberties on skilled players is what being a ‘team first guy’ is all about. If you deem that as being an enforcer… so be it. But, that is not necessarily the only reason you are on a team. Each of these guys are very athletic and are able to move the ball. They also have the additional asset of fighting and being team guys.

As you will see on the comments from the LPG post – this thing happens all the time. Both in the NHL and the NLL. Even more so in the AHL, ECHL, CHL, and SPHL. 

From watching the fight you can obviously tell that both of the participants are mutually engaged and respectful of each others safety.

Connor, I respect your ”push for the abolition of fighting in box lacrosse. However, realistically, until you have had titanium smash against your neck, teeth, and nose more often than not you need to protect yourself from injury. Referees do not always see it. So as a player and a team mate you need to take it upon yourself to prevent further injury.

The harsh reality is Box Lacrosse is an extremely aggressive sport and you are able to manipulate your stick and body in a way to purposely cause physical harm within in a confined set of rules and boundaries. As athletes we are told to break boundaries often time purposefully or accidentally. Sport, often as in life, Penalties, Power Play Goals Against, and Fines are often not enough of a deterrent. Sometimes it takes a punch in the face or a broken nose for someone to realize that “Hey, you can’t cheap shot me anymore”.

So until there are no more high sticks, checks from behind, slashes to the shins/knees, sticks to the throat, and punches to the cage fighting is necessary. But this being BIG news, no. Fun news, news that Rochester has an intense camp, which has the potential to make them a better team in 2012, definitely.