Recently an article in the Boston Globe, “Scoring Style Points“, by Jenifer McKim has generated quite a buzz in the online lax world. There have been a few responses to the uninformed and poorly written article. One on Deadspin (a sarcastic take), one on Grantland (sort of a conversation), and an overarching response on LaxAllStars. I would encourage everyone to read the Boston Globe article before reading the responses.

I’m sure everyone here has an opinion on the “lax bro” culture taking over our lacrosse community. If you are selling the gear (shorts, pinnies, socks, hats) you love it because every kid has to have the newest and flashiest stuff. If you are a coach you hate it because the kids are lackadaisical, entitled, and care more about being seen than winning the game. I can see how people outside of lacrosse can view “lax bros” as immature, entitled, elitist, lazy kids; but I also understand how it can give the young kids a sense of identity and help grow the game.

It all comes down to your definition of a “lax bro” and everyone’s definition is a little different. Does being a “lax bro” mean wearing the gear and having the attitude? Is being a “lax bro” just loving the sport, talking about it all the time, and working hard to get better to accomplish a dream of playing at a higher level? I know some people hate the “lax bro” attitude and want it completely abandoned. What does lacrosse become then? The “lax bro” culture is supposed to be fun and allow for kids to be unique. If lacrosse becomes too militant all the players coming over from baseball and soccer will find something else.

However, I do agree that the lackadaisical and entitled attitudes need to be scrubbed out. I have no problem with kids wearing what they want, but when they step onto a lacrosse field and it’s all about the new head or stringing, or “sick behind the back I did in practice” (which was only made after 25 attempts) that is a problem. I’m proud of many of our youth programs and players. I know many hard working and focused youth players who are mature beyond their years. These kids wear their mesh pennies while finishing homework, and then go hit the wall or shoot 100 shots on their own time. That would be my vision for future “lax bros”.

Unfortunately there are still a few bad eggs out there and realistically, there always will be those bad eggs. I have seen more youth players arguing with officials than ever before and not being corrected by their coaches. In fact, many times I will see a player yelling at a ref and when I look at the sideline the coaches are all doing the same thing. This trend has to stop. Believe me, I know it is easy to disagree with officials, but as coaches and parents we have to remember the example we are setting. We don’t want a kid growing up thinking it is ok to throw tantrums and belittle other players or officials. Teaching kids to honor the game starts on the field and continues at home.

In full disclosure I want to point out that I am in no way a professional writer and unfortunately I never took a writing course outside of the required courses in school. But I have been provided a platform to start a conversation within our Utah Lacrosse community and I am interested to know everyone’s opinion about the “lax bro” movement (if you can call it a movement) within the lacrosse world. Feel free to write your responses under this article or join the utahlacrossenews.com community.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the respective author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Utah Lacrosse News, which seeks to publish a diverse range of perspectives in the Utah lacrosse community as a whole. Utah Lacrosse News does not guarantee an opinion piece will be published. If you have an opinion about a lacrosse related topic and would like to share it, please email tim@utahlacrossenews.com