By Mark Gannon
E-Lacrosse Correspondent





Just a few years ago, the thought of a professional outdoor lacrosse league seemed like an improbable dream. Many in the lacrosse community wanted to see such a league, but it just seemed like it would be too much to start up and maintain. However, with the effort, faith, and capital of some dedicated lacrosse fans and players, as well as some lacrosse-loving businessmen, Major League Lacrosse became a reality.




MLL Action at Homewood in Baltimore

And so an entire generation of the nation's most elite lacrosse players had one of their greatest hopes and wishes granted: the chance to play professional lacrosse. The chance to play in the highest-caliber lacrosse league in the world, and get paid for it. For many of these players, pro lacrosse is something that they barely even dreamed about during their earlier playing days. When asked about what it's like to be playing pro outdoor lacrosse, Baltimore Bayhawks star Mark Millon said, "growing up, I always wanted to play professional sports, but clearly, there wasn't any pro outdoor league for lacrosse. Making the USA team was sort of a taste of things to come, and in the last six or seven years, the idea of pro lacrosse became more and more realistic. Now, it's unbelievable. It's amazing to be out there playing pro lacrosse." He added, "Being at the first game at Homewood, putting on that jersey for the first time, and then going out and seeing all the fans in the stands…it's definitely something I'll treasure."




Kip Fulks and Rob Shek are living a dream

Lacrosse fans are also enthusiastic about the MLL. Besides the World Games, the MLL is the only chance for fans to see the best players in the world competing outdoors. But of course, the MLL features a higher number of talented players than the World Games, as well as many more games in an extended full Summer season. And so the MLL has created new dreams by giving younger players one more goal to strive for. College, high school, and youth players now have another level of lacrosse to look forward to with high hopes of becoming a pro lacrosse player.




Mark Millon

Justin Weathers, an 8 year-old Baltimore Bayhawks fan, hopes to be "just like Gary Gait, Mark Millon, and Casey Powell." Casey Bayer-Anderson, another young Baltimore fan, loves the hitting and scoring of the MLL and said, "I would love to play in the MLL, and I'll definitely be practicing lacrosse everyday" in hopes of reaching the pro ranks. When asked about whether the MLL was a goal of his, Maryland high school lacrosse player Ross Koenig replied, "Our coach is always pushing us to look at the next goal, the next step, and go for it. It used to just be getting to play in college, but now there's the MLL. It's one more thing to have in your mind when you practice, another dream to shoot for."






The league has also been the realization of the visions of people such as Gordon Boone, a partner in the Baltimore Bayhawks franchise of the single ownership entity league. "I have a lot of faith in this league and in what we're doing" said Boone. "I think it's very exciting that we're winning over everyone who goes to see a game. So many people involved love the game of lacrosse, and it's great to see [the pro lacrosse game] finally happen. You look at the sidelines after a game, and the autograph line is 10 kids deep all the way down the line. The kids love it, and the players do it because of love for the game and for the fans. The kids know the players by their first names, and so many of them have that look, like they can see themselves in uniforms in a couple years."






With attendance currently strong and TV ratings high, the MLL seems poised to be a tremendous success for everyone involved, from fans and players to all those who work behind the scenes of the MLL. But perhaps Mark Millon best expressed the potential of the MLL: "One thing that I always stress is that the MLL can be a huge success, but it's important that the kid who wants to play in the league one day should be out there supporting his local team, keeping this league going strong and helping it get bigger and better." The MLL can continue to be a great way to enjoy lacrosse, but it will take the whole-hearted support of the lacrosse community if it is going to continue to fulfill the dreams of its players and fans.







7/20/01