By Hayden Ronga

The Premier Lacrosse League is a new professional league that “intends to grow the sport of lacrosse and honor its heritage,” according to co-founder Paul Rabil. The sport has been up and coming worldwide recently, and this league is the perfect thing for promoting it around the world. 

Rabil was a player in the league up until this year, when he announced his retirement from the sport after a 14-year professional career. Prior to PLL, Rabil played in other professional lacrosse leagues such as the MLL [Major League Lacrosse] and NLL [National Lacrosse League] out of college. He quickly became the face of the sport after his brand “Rabil” took off. His company primarily makes lacrosse gear, such as sticks, and protective gear such as gloves and shoulder pads.   

Along with his brother Mike Rabil, Paul had an original goal to create a league that was comprised of the best players, where every game was like an all-star game to viewers. After Paul’s 14 seasons playing in Major League Lacrosse, he retired from the sport to focus more on the business aspect of the league. The two brothers wanted to not only make this about the game of lacrosse but to spread the game to every country and market the sport worldwide. 

Photo credit: piqsels.com.

The first inaugural games of the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) took place on June 1, 2019, in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The league’s six original teams—The Whipsnakes LC, Redwood’s LC, Archers LC, Chaos LC, Chrome LC, and Atlas LC—faced each other for the first of ten regular-season weeks. The best part about the league is that the teams in the PLL do not have a home city, because the league is a traveling venue that comes to all the major cities in the U.S. This allows fans to choose a favorite team and not have to travel across the country to watch them play. 

Players from all around the globe have emerged together to create this league that is made up of the best lacrosse players in the world. The teams battled it out throughout the season in 2019, and after the first-ever season of the Premier Lacrosse League, the Whipsnaked LC came out victorious in the championship game on September 19, 2019. In the offseason before year two, there was a new addition to the league, a seventh team: The Waterdogs LC. The team could select a certain number of players on existing teams, with the option of drafting players from college and other leagues, such as the MLL. The expansion of the league left many (including myself) skeptical about how well the team would do compared to the other clubs. The Waterdogs did not end up doing well in their first season, with a record of 1-3, finishing fifth out of seven, but they bounced back quickly the following year. 

With the 2020 season beginning at the height of the pandemic, many thought there would not be a season, but Rabil and his co-workers put their time and effort into figuring out how they could manage to have a season while still being cautious. They decided to create a two-week-long, action-packed season. The viewers liked this abbreviated season because it was the first taste of sports returning from COVID-19 after a long spring with nothing to watch. 

Now, in 2022, the league has added an eighth team. The Cannons LC, new to the 2021 season, entered the same protocol as the Waterdogs did just a year before. The addition of two new teams, and potentially more in the future, allows for more competition and involvement from other players. 

Some fans of the league are excited about the addition, because a new team adds some chaos between the teams. Many trades happened due to the new addition, and people got to see some of their favorite players in new threads. 

The PLL is the gateway and future for the sport of lacrosse to really take off.  With games streaming on NBC, the league has made a name for itself. By selling merchandise, lacrosse sticks, and having their own YouTube channel and social media pages, the league has done an excellent job of connecting with fans like the four major sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB). Within the next ten years, reporters are stating that the Premier Lacrosse League will be in the same category as those leagues, which would be a huge stride for the sport of lacrosse.