Red, White — and Blue?
John Grant Jr., Canada’s legendary scorer, becomes dual citizen
By Mark Macyk L
ast September, after years of gainful American employment as a professional lacrosse player, John Grant Jr. officially became a U.S.
citizen. The government shut down the next day.
“I was an American for one day and I shut the government down,” Grant said. “I got some wisecracks saying that I was a spy.”
Grant is not a Canadian spy, but for a few weeks this month, he will transform into an enemy of the state, when he suits up for Team Canada — the U.S.’s fiercest lacrosse rival — for the fifth time at the FIL World Championship. Despite his dual citizenship and the games being held in his adopted hometown of Denver, there was no chance the 39-year-old attackman would pledge allegiance to a new flag this summer.
“I always say I’m red and white on the inside and blue on the outside,” Grant said. “I owe a lot to America. It’s an excellent country, but I grew up as a Canadian. I’m excited every time I get an opportunity to put the Maple Leaf on. I still believe in the red and white.” This year, the chances of seeing the red and white draped in gold are as good as ever. Years of efforts to lure young
58 LACROSSE MAGAZINE July 2014>>
Canadians from their traditional box lacrosse teams toward the field game are paying off. Just look at the college players dotting the NCAA landscape. Lacrosse remains a predominantly blue-collar sport up north, and the opportunity to earn college scholarships in the States is a major selling point for the field game. Every member of this year’s team has NCAA field experience, and three (Wesley Berg, Jesse King and Brennan Donville) are current collegians. Grant played at Delaware. It’s a far cry from previous years, when the Canadians would spend much of July learning the nuances of the outdoor game.
“In the past, there were a lot of box guys and then some with field experience,” said Canada coach Randy Mearns, who has seen the Canadian impact on the NCAA firsthand as coach of Canisius. “Now everyone has that field lacrosse IQ, and they’re amazing. It’s led to a lot of difficulties in choosing where the roster is at.”
One knock against box players is that they tend to play only with one hand, like a hockey player would. Embracing field lacrosse has made Canada’s attack more ambidextrous. Additionally, a program long been known only for its offense can finally worry about the little things that win
A Publication of US Lacrosse
“I always say I’m red and white on the inside and blue on the outside,” Grant said. “I owe a lot to America. it’s an excellent country, but I grew up as a Canadian. I’m excited every time I get an opportunity to put the Maple Leaf on. I still believe in the red and white.”
©MARC PISCOTTY
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