Every year, there’s a new team that emerges as “America’s Team.” To me, this term has nothing to do with patriotism but everything to do with an underdog story. For decades, the Dallas Cowboys have referred to themselves as “America’s Team,” but that definition feels outdated compared to how the term is used now—especially on social media.
Nowadays, when I hear “America’s Team,” I picture a team or program that captures the hearts of the nation. A team that you look at and just have to support because of how hard they worked to get to where they are. Typically, these teams have low expectations and raise the bar in just one year, making it difficult to root against them. Regardless of where your fan allegiance lies, you can look at America’s Team that year and say, “I’m glad they’re doing well.” This story is common in just about every sport, with the title holder changing from year to year.
In the NFL, the 2023 Detroit Lions season was nothing short of remarkable. They clinched their first division title in 30 years, paired with their first playoff victory since 1991. No one in the country was rooting against them. In the same year, March Madness featured its own version of an underdog story when Florida Atlantic University made an unexpected and thrilling run to the Final Four. The Owls were just the nine seed, but as the tournament progressed, everyone started supporting them, watching in wonder as they kept advancing.
The team that I think really originated the cultural shift with the term “America’s Team” was the 2018 Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team. The University wasn’t very well-known at the time but made it all the way from the 11th seed to the Final Four. Anyone following college athletics back then knew that Loyola-Chicago had captured the hearts of the nation, and they had nearly everyone supporting them in their underdog story.
Now that we have an understanding of the term itself, let’s take a look at the current 2025 college lacrosse season and determine who is our America’s Team as we head into the conference and NCAA tournaments. I’m not going to pick a clear winner, but rather, I’ll make my case for three teams that I think qualify for the title.
Army (10-1)
It’s somewhat ironic to feature the Army Black Knights as America’s Team. Patriotism aside, Army deserves a spot on this list for several reasons. The team has had recent success but has struggled to get over the hump toward its inevitable goal: a national championship.
Out of the teams on this list, Army has been the most consistent, making it difficult to classify them as a true underdog. My main argument for supporting Army is simply: how can you root against them? Unless you’re a Navy diehard, any time Army is having a successful season, it’s widely regarded as a massive accomplishment in the lacrosse world.
I remember when the Black Knights were just one goal away from Championship Weekend two years ago. That was an electric season, and it seems like 2025 is building up to something similar for Army. This team is too likable not to support down the stretch.
Harvard (9-2)
Harvard is back? It feels like for the past couple of years, Harvard has been on the brink of a breakout season. They’d pull off some quality wins and pull an upset or two, but never really seemed to get over the hump.
As we head into May, the team currently holds a 9-2 record. An early season loss to Colgate means nothing to me at this point since Colgate is known for pulling off February upsets every year. A two-goal loss to Princeton definitely hurt but wasn’t the end of the world.
This team holds some solid quality Division 1 lacrosse wins this season, including victories over Syracuse, Michigan, Yale, Boston University, and Dartmouth.
The real test comes this weekend when they play at home against Cornell. This could really shake up the Ivy League and the national landscape. Regardless of whether Harvard wins the Ivy League outright or not, they certainly have a place in the NCAA tournament.
Harvard has grown every year, and I don’t see how anyone could argue against supporting the Crimson down the stretch. A likable team with a likable coach, defying the odds on their path to a potential conference and national championship—that’s what underdog stories are made of.
Fairfield (11-1)
The clear front-runner on this list has to be the Fairfield University Stags. The program has been relatively mediocre for a number of years, but that’s all changed this year. The Stags currently hold an 11-1 record, with their only loss coming in a surprise upset against Stony Brook. Other than that, Fairfield has been flawless.
Their strength of schedule might not be the strongest, given their middle-of-the-pack status, but even in this landscape, it’s difficult to escape the regular season with only a handful of losses. Fairfield also possesses another likable coach in Andrew Baxter, which makes it easy to root for them.
Fairfield has never had much national relevance in the lacrosse world, but they fit the bill of an underdog story, similar to Loyola-Chicago and FAU in basketball. A team that has no business pulling off upsets and winning down the stretch but carries themselves with a ton of heart—that’s what the Fairfield University lacrosse program is this year.
They certainly aren’t high on my list of teams I’d want to face in the NCAA tournament, but even if they make it out of the first round, that would be a momentous achievement for the program.
