My literacy event analysis focuses on how I am able write about something I care deeply about. My life has been enriched by Lacrosse and it is the main reason I chose Wheaton College. Lacrosse is something I love. This essay is about lacrosse culture. I analyze insidelacrosse.com’s input on today’s lacrosse issues. I analyzed their concerns and the conversations they had about large lacrosse topics.

I was looking through the fan forum and noticed one issue that stood out to me. It was all about Major League Lacrosse’s (MLL) expansion to Atlanta. They intend to induct a new Atlanta team and re-draft their league. The MLL has eight teams currently. Atlanta expansion would bring it to 9. Lacrosse is now a major sport in the northeastern United States, New York, Delaware, Colorado. These areas have many lacrosse stars and are a great place to watch the sport. Florida Launch was just the last MLL team that was expanded. The team has been struggling to make money. The Northeast is not as fond of lacrosse in the south. My opinion is that the league should not be expanded to Atlanta. If they have a significant impact on their team, MLL players can earn around $20,000 Florida Launch doesn’t allow players to earn that much money. These same problems are likely to be experienced by the Atlanta team. In addition to not bringing in enough revenue, players and their colleagues will be cut off. It will result in a loss of chemistry among players, as well as a change in the way lacrosse is played. It is not right to expand MLL and put a team in Atlanta. When playing lacrosse, there’s a certain language that the players use to communicate with one another and fully understand each other. It can be very confusing for those who are not familiar with the conversation. One example of these slang terms is “Tilt.” This refers to how tilted your helmet. Tilt refers to how tilted your helmet is towards the ground. Tilt is good for you. It makes you more intimidating and will make you seem like a very good player. Tilt has been a key component in lacrosse’s safety. A helmet that is not properly fitted can lead to a player with good tilt. Officials and doctors are becoming more aware of lacrosse players who have concussions from the way they wear helmets. Some teams have hired professionals to fix their helmets. The tilt of my high school team was not what I expected. I also did this, but many players do it to improve their tilt. This topic was very much discussed on the lacrosse fan forum. Many players felt that it was safer to be intimidating and tilt than to be safe. Unfortunately, they were right. Tilt has been an integral part lacrosse.

The new collegiate shot-clock rule was also a topic of great discussion. The rule stipulates that officials will begin a 30-second shot clock if a team stalls in shooting the ball to try and score. Before this rule, most teams just held the ball and did not attempt to score. A team must score within the 30 second time limit set by the officials. This topic received mixed responses. Some people agreed that the rule was fair and would make close games more interesting. The losing team would have more chances for a tie or winning. Some fans feel this rule diminishes the game’s originality. Many teams with close games were able to keep the ball in their hands and run the clock. The shot clock was useless because it allowed the losing teams to pressure the person who was carrying and to regain possession for their team. I don’t like the shotclock rule. The defense of the losing team should try to pressurize the offense to take back possession. The defense should wait for the shot clock turn on and then start playing defense. It reduces the excitement inherent in lacrosse.

Lacrosse is a passion of mine and I could easily talk for hours about it. It is difficult for many people to understand the terminology involved in lacrosse, so it was interesting and exciting for me to discuss this topic with others on the insidelacosse.com fan forums. Everyone understood my explanations so I didn’t need to make it more complicated. Tilt, shot clock rules, expansions, tilts and lacrosse types. Lacrosse has been an integral part of our lives and we have made significant strides. It is quite different from the normal way people talk to lacrosse players. This holds true for many other sports. This unit helped me to see the differences and cultural language barriers that surround us.

Author

  • benjaminchambers

    Benjamin Chambers is an educator and blogger who focuses on using technology in the classroom. He has written for sites like The Huffington Post and The EdTech Digest, and has been featured in outlets like Forbes and The New York Times. Chambers' work has helped him to develop a following of educators and students who appreciate his down-to-earth approach to learning technology.