History Of Lacrosse

The Beginnings Of The History Of Lacrosse

The history of lacrosse began by the Native Americans. Where in the modern game, 6-12 people can play, when the Native Americans, over 1000 people at one time, played the sport. It was primarily used to settle diplomatic disputes among the different tribes. Men who were healers acted as umpires. The crosse they used to play the game is very similar to what they use now. They used rocks or trees to use as goals while their balls were covered with deerskin. One game could last for several days.
When the French settled in North America, a French Jesuit named Jean de Brebeuf observed the game. He saw the Huron Native Americans play and told others about it. On June 4, 1763, the Ottawa tribe, led by Chief Pontiac invited a Canadian British garrison at Fort Michilimackinac to watch them play a game of lacrosse, or “baggataway”. The Ottawa players eased up to the gates and suddenly, they rushed the fort, armed with tomahawks and massacred many of the inmates. This is the only time in the history of lacrosse where it was used for treachery. Colonists caught on with lacrosse and it became extremely popular. A dentist named W. George Beers put the game to code. By the early twentieth century, lacrosse began to be popular with high school and collegiate students. Lacrosse became an Olympic sport but was quickly dropped.

The French Contribution To The History Of Lacrosse

The evolution of the stick in the history of lacrosse is contributed largely from the French colonists in North America. For a very long time, a misconception existed where the stick or crosse came about as inspiration from the crosier, a bishop’s symbol of office. In French, crosse is a general word referring to any stick used in sports. The French observed the game and called it “the game of the stick” or le jeu de la crosse. The modern name “Lacrosse” is just shorthand for the French name.

The Equipment In The History Of Lacrosse

The ball in lacrosse history was originally a deerskin ball filled with hair, or leather strips that were then knotted together. European colonists used balls in this same way. W. George Beers, who was the first to codify the game in lacrosse history, changed the lacrosse ball forever. Instead of hair-filled balls, he substituted the rubber ball, which is continued to be in use today.