LXM PRO Tour vs. MLL

A huge question that's come up in the lacrosse world over the last summer is whether or not the LXM Pro Tour is going to survive for much longer, and whether or not it is a true competitor to the MLL.

For those of you who are new to lacrosse, or have just been living under a rock for the past year while playing lacrosse, the MLL (or Major League Lacrosse) is the professional field lacrosse league. It features greats like the Powell brothers, Paul Rabil, Nicky Polanco, and so on.

The LXM PRO Tour is a new project that is designed to throw lacrosse into the limelight and make it more mainstream. All LXM PRO events feature a professional game, which features talent like Chazz Woodson, Brandon Corp, Kyle Harrison, Steven Brooks, and Max and Xander Ritz; a clinic session, which usually goes before the professional game; and a concert by a mainstream band or artist. In some cases, a college game is thrown in there sometimes that includes local colleges and talent.

Overall, both leagues are competitive, and both bring a lot to the table, but I think that the MLL will eventually win out. Some would argue that the flashiness and the contemporary style of the LXM PRO Tour events would attract more people, and therefore more revenue, but I think that it can only go for so long before it eventually burns out. You can't have the same guys playing all the time and keep attracting audiences, because there are only so many large cities that will accept an event like this. Also, since there are only two teams, you can't really identify with a team because they aren't really from anywhere.

Another thing is that this whole thing is very expensive, and while it might be attracting a lot of attention in places like Baltimore and Philadelphia, the Texas and Georgia events might be a little iffy on the popularity front.

I haven't mentioned the NLL (National Lacrosse League) yet, which is the professional indoor league. A lot of the guys that play in the MLL in the summer play NLL lacrosse in the field offseason to keep their stick skills up and stay in shape. The last thing that league needs is something that takes great talent away from it.

All in all, I think that the LXM PRO Tour is good for now, but it should only act as a catalyst in boosting the popularity of lacrosse around the nation, and not become a permanent deal.

KEEP LAXIN!

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