LXM EFFECT Of 43 players who participated in the LXM Pro Tour’s
June 8 event in Orange County, 10 were black. At press time, the MLL had just six black players out of 200 on active rosters. In a November 2012 interview with Lacrosse Magazine, Charlotte Hounds midfielder Jovan Miller said he respects both leagues but ultimately chose the MLL because he views it as more competitive. “[Harrison] has always been great to me. But I’m
going to make my own mark. It’s not going to be through his league. And I feel like the most premier way to get my name out there is to play in the highest available league, and that’s Major League Lacrosse,” Miller said. While LXM may have first surfaced as a response to
around the Pro Tour as an effective marketing tool. In the current variation of the exhibition, Team STX includes STX-sponsored athletes such as Baum, Harrison, Tim Desko and Sam Bradman. The other squad? Maverik United features Maverik athletes John Christmas and Billy Bitter, who last year suited up in the MLL. Champion, Gatorade and Cascade also are involved as sponsors. Clearly, LXM gives companies an outlet to display their products around professional lacrosse players. But the Pro Tour also takes sponsored athletes to different parts of the country. “Those non-traditional markets are where the sport is booming, so [companies] want to be involved and get in front of the kids first,” Scott Hochstadt said. Many of the sport’s prominent black athletes — including Harrison, Shamel and Rhamel Bratton, Christmas and Sam Bradman — play on the LXM Pro Tour. In a sport lacking diversity, LXM offers a promising glimpse into a more inclusive future.
Former Boston Cannon John Christmas is one of 10 black players on LXM’s 43-man roster.
Notable players on the LXM Pro Tour
Peter Baum 2012 Tewaaraton Award winner out
of Colgate was No. 1 pick in 2013 MLL draft, but chose to play LXM instead.
Billy Bitter
Former North Carolina standout was an MLL All-Star with the Charlotte Hounds in 2012.
Sam Bradman Top player in D-III at Salisbury made headlines with MVP performance for U.S. at 2013 Champion Challenge.
Shamel Bratton Top scoring midfielder in Virginia history and first-round pick by Long Island Lizards in 2011 moved to California with twin brother Rhamel to play on LXM Pro Tour.
John Christmas Former Virginia All-American attackman played parts of six seasons in the MLL, totaled 109 points for Boston Cannons from 2006-08.
the MLL, significant differences do exist. LXM barnstorms mostly in the western part of the country. The MLL plays in eight cities — six of which are on the East Coast. MLL games are on ESPN and CBS Sports, while LXM relies on YouTube’s Lacrosse Network. The focus for MLL teams is winning championships. Ultimately, LXM is a showcase. Yet, the LXM-versus-MLL debate rages on in part because players either compete in one league or the other. MLL Commissioner Dave Gross said the league “reviews all requests for outside MLL competition on a case-by-case basis.” But none of the marquee LXM players suit up in the MLL and vice versa. In comparison, MLL players are not barred from playing in the professional indoor National Lacrosse League or Senior A box lacrosse in Canada. While the MLL may see LXM as a rival, the Pro Tour
opens different markets and creates a groundswell of support around professional lacrosse — a movement that one day could lead fans to demand not just a one-day event but a team with ownership, a nine-game schedule and an experience the MLL provides. “What we do as organizations are very
different,” Xander Ritz said. “But both [leagues] are doing a lot of good for the sport.” LM
Kyle Harrison 2005 Tewaaraton Award winner out of Johns Hopkins played on 2006 U.S. team and starred for erstwhile Los Angeles Riptide before co-founding LXM Pro Tour.
Mikey Powell Enigmatic two-time Tewaaraton
Award winner and two-time U.S. team player out of Syracuse moonlighted in LXM events in 2011 and 2012 after leaving MLL.
Peter Baum
A Publication of US Lacrosse
September 2013 >> LACROSSE MAGAZINE 45
©DIRK DEWACHTER (JC); ©LEE WEISSMAN (PB)
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