Heading into what should be one of the most heralded weekends for men’s college lacrosse, players and fans alike are facing a game that can’t look much darker. Actually, the problem people have with the sport is it can’t look much lighter.
Of the three teams in this weekend’s ACC tournament, Virginia has one black player, North Carolina has none and the Terps field two. Duke, which has been eliminated from the tournament after forfeiting its season, has one black player.
The question has become whether the Duke rape case is an isolated issue of potentially racial violence or if this sort of behavior is bred throughout the sport. While it’s too early to jump to conclusions about the innocence or guilt of the Blue Devils under investigation, there are some legitimate questions about the sport’s culture.
A disgusting e-mail from a Duke player and reports from neighbors show the actions within that house were racially charged. Whether many of the Duke players are racist or just followed the lead of a select few is unknown.
But I can say this: Such an incident like that would be unlikely at a football or basketball team party. If racist comments were thrown around there, the offending player would be lucky not to get his ass kicked by his teammates.
In lacrosse, there’s less of a check against a racist atmosphere. That’s not to say there aren’t white players or coaches who wouldn’t stand for racist comments, because I’m sure there are. But I’d guess a black player or coach would have a much stronger reaction and would be less likely to get sucked into mob behavior.
People upset with lacrosse also say these players are all rich, spoiled, over-privileged, Northeastern kids. While it’s true the majority of players are from the Mid-Atlantic (the Terps have only three players from outside that region), that’s a grand generalization. Saying every person from the Northeast is rich is like saying every person from the South is prejudiced.
Many male athletes from all sports have a sense of entitlement. Men’s lacrosse players are hardly the only ones who feel they’re above the school or even the law.
The problem isn’t with many current college teams. It’s a problem of exclusion within the game.
Don’t attack colleges for not having more diversity right now. It’s not that Terp coach Dave Cottle or any other coach is specifically excluding black players, it’s just there aren’t many playing the game.
This isn’t baseball and the Negro Leagues, where black stars such as Jackie Robinson were just waiting in the wings until they got their chance. Black players are given their opportunities to make it big in the game. Last year’s best player, Kyle Harrison of Johns Hopkins, is black, as is one of Virginia’s top scoring threats, John Christmas.
Still, black players are extremely rare in the game. Some reasons are:
– It’s not a sport played much in the South, where many black athletes hail from.
– This sport isn’t as popular across the country as it is at Northeastern colleges and boys’ prep schools, which are predominantly attended by students from white, wealthy families.
n There aren’t very many recreational leagues, meaning much of the play is done with club teams that may have to travel through several states for a tournament. Many low-income families – black and white – can’t afford the travel required to play.
n It hasn’t had time to develop itself at the professional level, where many children of all races look for role models. If Harrison and other black athletes became household names, more black children would be drawn to the sport. But lacrosse is not yet popular on a national level.
The sport must work diligently to try to encompass a more diverse youth following by adding more youth recreational leagues to make the game more accessible for everyone. The sport is just now becoming popular enough to attract anyone, let alone a group of people who were never before drawn to it before.
This weekend’s ACC tournament is a chance for the sport to gain the exposure it needs to become popular enough with children from all backgrounds. The problem for the game is that much of the focus, which at this time is completely justified, has been on Duke’s absence.
The Duke incident has shown that a horrible crime can happen anywhere, even at saintly Duke. It has shown that there should be some change within the sport.
But the Duke case should not taint college lacrosse permanently.
Contact columnist Ryan Mink at sports@dbk.umd.edu.
