The National Lacrosse League, the first truly professional lacrosse league in these parts, is all set to overcome the difficulties that have — in the past — prevented box lacrosse from being a major sport in Canada.
The customary knockers of any new venture are quick to point out that lacrosse had never made it in Canada on an amateur or professional level. Jim Bishop general manager of the Toronto Tomahawks and one of the key people involved in the formation of the new league, disagrees with such theories.
Bishop, who has been involved in the game at all levels for 28 years, said the other day:
“At a pro level there was only one attempt made in 1968, but it was a much watered-down product. At the amateur level lacrosse hasn’t failed. How can anyone say it has failed when 32,000 people watched the seven- game series between Richmond Roadrunners and
Peterboro PCOs at New Westminster, despite the fact two out-of-town teams were involved.”
Bishop then gave reason why he believes pro lacrosse will prove this time around that the game has a great potential in Canada and in the United States.
“This will be a completely different operation from the attempt in 1968,” said Bishop. “This is no knock at the people who tried it six years ago. It’s just the fact that we will have more money available to put the league across.
“The difference between the two pro setups are quite significant. First of all we have to consider the calibre of the owners. Without trying to spell out the wealth of the individual owners,
I can assure you that their combined wealth is well over $1 billion.
“And they don’t just talk about it. They put their money where it’s needed. Each club had to deposit $100,000 personal bond and a $20,000 performance assurance in addition to $10,000 for operational expenses of the league. That’s a total of $130,000 per club to the league. It doesn’t include any expenses of the club.”
And club expenses will be higher than ever before. First of all they will have full-time employee
although, for the time being, the players will not full-time pros. The Tomahawks, for instance, have already spent thousands of dollars on billboard subway, television and newspaper, advertising. Each club has put in a new floor in the respective arenas at total cost of more than $150,000.”
Bishop is very optimistic about the Montreal franchise, where he expects a crowd in excess of 12,000 for the opening game May 15. He isn’t being a dreamer.
He bases his figures on the fact that, at the time of writing, Montreal had already sold 6,000 tickets in advance. Being a realist, Bishop knows Toronto and some other franchises will have to make believers out of Doubting Thomases before the attendance would climb to 12,000 or better. He compares lacrosse to soccer.
“Lacrosse offers all the ingredients that are needed to make a sport big league,” he says. “Some leagues in other sports claim to be big league merely on the premise that the sport in itself’ is big league. Like hockey, for instance.
“Soccer also has an uphill battle, but its image is improving all the time. In fact, I believe lacrosse and soccer are two sports that could have equal representations of Canadians and Americans in due course. In hockey and football it will take a long time and in baseball probably never.”
Bishop makes sense. Even in his prediction that pro lacrosse will succeed in North America. There are several reasons for going along with his thinking. Besides wealthy owners, top-calibre players from western Canada and from the U.S., National Hockey League referees, three serious applications for franchises for next year, promotion and proper organization, the league has one other thing going — lacrosse itself.
It’s a great game and lacrosse history will be made in Montreal by having the largest crowd ever watching a game in Canada. It’s the type of start for a new league that spells S-U-C-C-E-S-S.
By George Gross, Toronto Sun