Lacrosse Facts
Lacrosse is a fast-paced team sport played by ten players, each player uses a netted stick in order to pass and catch a very hard rubber ball with the aim of scoring goals, each worth one point, by propelling the ball into the opponent's goal.
Early balls were made out of the befitting the spirit of combat in which it was undertaken. Those who took part did so in the role of warriors, with the goal of bringing glory and honor to themselves and their tribes, and as a religious ritual.
Lacrosse has witnessed great modifications since its origins in the 1400s, but many aspects of the sport remain the same. In the Native North American version, each team consisted of about 100 to 1,000 men on a field that stretched from about 500 to 800 metres with some fields being several kilometres long.
At the professional level, there are 13 National Lacrosse League (indoor) teams; 10 in the United States and 3 in Canada. In Major League Lacrosse, there are 10 teams all of which are based in the United States, and 2 more expansion teams are set to play in the 2008 season.
Outdoor men's lacrosse involves two teams of 10 players each competing to project a small ball of solid rubber into the opposing team's goal.
The field of play is 110 yards (100 m) long and 60 yards (54 m) wide. The goals are 6 feet (1.8 m) by 6 feet and contain a mesh netting similar to an ice hockey goal. The goal sits inside a circular "crease", measuring 18 feet (5.5 m) in diameter.
In men's lacrosse, players can be awarded penalties of two types by the referee for rule infractions. Personal fouls always result in the player serving time in the penalty box, located at the side of the field between the opposing teams' interchange benches.
Slashing occurs when a player's stick viciously contacts an opponent in any area other than the stick or gloved hand on the stick.
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