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Is Fighting Good for Lacrosse? A Look at Elijah Gash and the Debate

One of the biggest events this lacrosse offseason went down this past weekend in an NLL game. The Buffalo Bandits and Toronto Rock have a historic rivalry with decades of tension between them, and that tension was on full display from start to finish. The underperforming Toronto Rock put up a fight on Buffalo’s home turf, and the game stayed close. Like any good rivalry, things got heated, and everything exploded when Zack Belter of the Buffalo Bandits decided to pick a fight with Toronto Rock newbie Elijah Gash.

Gash had a solid enough rookie year to get picked 12th overall by the Rock in the 2024 dispersal draft. At 6’4” and 210 pounds, Gash—son of Super Bowl-winning running back Sam Gash—is a complete unit. Belter figured that out quickly when one clean right hook from Gash dropped him to the ground, leaving him completely disoriented. Fights happen all the time in the NLL, but they’re rarely as entertaining as this one. Usually, it’s just a bunch of jersey-grabbing and awkward wrestling to the ground. This fight, though? It was different.

The clip of Gash knocking out Belter blew up online in a way lacrosse highlights almost never do. Sure, it spread fast in the lacrosse community because of how wild it was, but it didn’t stop there. It crossed over into mainstream sports media, with outlets like Barstool Sports sharing it and putting millions of new eyes on the sport. People who’d never even heard of box lacrosse—or maybe even lacrosse in general—were suddenly talking about it. And honestly, any time the sport gets that kind of exposure, it’s a good thing.

Of course, Elijah Gash didn’t escape the moment without criticism. Plenty of people pointed out that his second punch, thrown while Belter was already on the ground, was unnecessary, and his reaction after the fight came off as cocky. Still, it raises an important question: is fighting good for lacrosse?

In the NLL, fighting is part of the culture. It’s always been there, kind of like in hockey. Tell a casual sports fan that there’s a game where people beat each other with sticks and fight, and they’re probably sold immediately. That’s just part of the physicality of box lacrosse, and it’s been a staple of the sport for a long time.

The PLL, on the other hand, has a different approach. Fighting isn’t something they encourage, but when it does happen, they’ll absolutely use it for social media engagement. It’s a tricky balance for the PLL, though, because they market heavily to kids. They definitely don’t want to promote fighting to young players, but at the same time, a big moment like a fight is hard not to capitalize on.

That’s the problem. Pro-level violence tends to trickle down to youth sports, and kids copy what they see. Whether it’s a flashy goal celebration or a behind-the-back shot, it’s only a matter of time before fighting becomes part of that mix. And no one wants that.

So, is fighting good for lacrosse? It’s great for getting attention, especially in a social media-driven world where quick clips can go viral and pull millions of eyes onto the game. And right now, lacrosse needs all the eyeballs it can get. But let’s be real—there’s so much more to lacrosse than just the physicality. The way the ball moves, the chemistry between players, and the flow of the game are what make it beautiful.

There’s a thin line here. Fighting brings instant engagement, but if it becomes too big of a focus, it’ll take away from what makes the sport special. And if it starts showing up in youth lacrosse, that’s a major problem. Let’s keep the game physical and competitive, sure, but let’s also focus on what really makes lacrosse great. Still, there’s no denying that a good fight will always grab attention—especially when someone like Elijah Gash lands a clean knockout.