What is the first sport invented by Americans?
Baseball? Football? No - they are based on foreign sports. Both are quintessentially American, but neither can actually claim North American roots. Cricket, Rounders and Rugby are all British.
Volleyball? Basketball? No - both were invented here in the United States, but they are basically 20th Century pastimes.
Hockey? Eh? No.
The first American sport, and perhaps one of the oldest of all sports, is Lacrosse. It is an exciting game, nicknamed "The Fastest Game on Two Feet". Often high-scoring, it requires tremendous hand-eye coordination, and when played well it exhibits discipline which is often unmatched. Yet among all sports, it lacks broad US appeal. There are two major leagues, one indoor and one outdoor. Neither has caught on in a big way, and all the players maintain day jobs.
Lacrosse is believed to have begun in the 5th Century, in some form. Over the years, evidence of the game has appeared in what was Mesoamerica, The American South and as far north as Canada. However, it was most popular in the Great Lakes and Mid-American regions. To this day, the Six Nations Team (Iroquois) is consistently among the best international squads.
It spread through much of the North American region. While it was primarily used as training for combat, there was a spiritual quality to the game. The rules frequently changed, depending on how and why the game was being played. Often playing fields covered miles of territory and had hundreds of participants. The Jesuits sought to ban the sport, yet it survived and during the 1800's rules were codified and clubs formed.
For years, it's been primarily a Northeastern sport, popular in Upstate New York, Long Island, and the Mid Atlantic region. Until two years ago, none of the NCAA finalists had come from west of the Ohio River. Notre Dame changed that in 2010.
As a participation sport nationally, it is catching on. Eastern High School teams making swings through the South and West once used these tours to pad their records. Today, easy wins in those regions are harder to come by. Some western colleges such as the University of Denver are now considered difficult competition and regularly make the NCAA playoffs.
In my youth, I played soccer, an international sport which is still struggling to gain acceptance in the US market at a professional level. Soccer is the largest youth participation sport in the United States. After being exposed to Lacrosse, my interest in the sport grew, and I began to wish it had been available where I grew up. Sports are a very important part of youth and adolescence, helping to keep children physically fit and mentally acute. Participation in team sports also helps reduce delinquency rates.
My boys play lacrosse, and my alma mater, Syracuse, is a powerhouse at the collegiate level. As sports go, it will likely follow a similar path to soccer, struggling to match a professional audience size which mimics the big 4 here in the US. But if you have the opportunity to watch a game, and learn the relatively simple rules, you may find yourself enjoying something a little different and out of the ordinary. If you have children, it's a great indoor and outdoor activity that is seeing growth. It's also not very expensive. As one professional pointed out to the team recently "Nobody ever improved their game by spending an extra $100 on name brand gear. Buy what you need and what works, then spend time practicing."
Bulldogs, however, get very tired at early morning games.
