I would consider myself a fairly active sports fan. I have played just about every sport at some point in my life, and I actively follow multiple professional leagues. My top three sports leagues that take up most of my time outside of the PLL are the NFL, CFB, and NBA. While each league offers its own variation of gameplay and competition, certain factors make each league entertaining on its own. “Entertaining” is the key word, as any sports league needs to be entertaining in order to grow. That is the entire reason for professional sports; it is an entertainment product. This is a very crucial factor to understand because while we all love the sport of lacrosse and know how popular it CAN be, it just isn’t there yet.
Starting late to the game certainly plays a major factor, as all of the other major sports leagues have decades of history that have brought them to where they are today in cultural prominence. With a lot of catching up to do, the PLL needs to ensure that the product is entertaining. They certainly are doing this with the presentation value as well as the competition on the field. I’m sure all of the older lacrosse fans can appreciate the jump professional lacrosse has made from going from the MLL to the PLL.
So what is the league missing that the major sports leagues have? A true dynasty. Now hear me out here: you look at every other sports league and there are certain teams that stand out among the rest and have earned the crown of being named a dynasty. While fans might say they love a level playing field, viewership says otherwise. For the NFL, viewership numbers rise with dynasties like the 2000s New England Patriots and the 2020s Kansas City Chiefs. The NBA has this same effect; while many fans complain about the 2010s Golden State Warriors, they brought entertaining storylines and exciting basketball to the court. Do you think the NBA would be where it is today without Johnson’s Lakers, Bird’s Celtics, and most importantly, Jordan’s Bulls? The NBA has had declining viewership since the Warriors started to implode and that is no coincidence. When the playing field is too level, there is no dominance, and with no dominance, interest begins to dip. The PLL desperately needs a dynasty to succeed.
I used to think that a level playing field was great for the sport of lacrosse and was upset when the Whipsnakes went 2 for 3 in consecutive championship appearances. But in hindsight, the Chaos’s title holds much more weight, taking down the two-time defending champions in the Whipsnakes. Very much similar to LeBron taking down the 2016 Golden State Warriors. The PLL has hit a point where it has some history, enough that the league is starting to develop its own storylines, which is good for an entertainment product. A PLL dynasty would really push the league over the edge and create even more tension which would lead to viewership.
At the end of the day, though, the league needs more teams to disperse the talent. Fans have said for years now that there is too much PLL talent sitting at home on game day. I understand the financial burden that comes with expansion, but the league needs to be okay with having teams that are consistently at the top and the bottom of the leaderboards. A PLL dynasty would create storylines, which inevitably bring eyeballs to screens and butts in seats, which is what the league needs.
