Jennifer McKim, a staff writer for The Boston Globe, wrote an article that many might view as an uneducated and skewed outlook of lacrosse. “Scoring Style Points” illustrates a life of leisure for most lacrosse players. McKim highlights the costs associated with the sport, but misses the mark tremendously by not clarifying how many enthusiasts actually despise the crippling subculture. Yes, McKim received statements from non-lax bros, but she could have gone further by exposing the subculture as a gimmick created and supported by the apparel and equipment industry to turn a profit.
McKim writes:
Older lax bros — short for “lacrosse brothers” — tend to offer similarly vague definitions of the phenomenon, but it is easy to spot them. Lax bros display a certain understated confidence that critics call arrogance. They wear their hair long, a look known as “lettuce.” They dress in colorful board shorts, flat-brim hats, and bright half-calf socks. They carry lacrosse sticks, or “spoons,” on and off the field.
Not every lacrosse player wears the same clothes or jams out to heady music. Lacrosse players should not be confined to one particular dress code or zipcode. Should lacrosse culture be defined by apparel, attitude and economic status? Hell no. Don’t let it happen.
Here is an infographic listed within the article:
The infographic only pertains to Massachusetts on a limited scale. I’d love to see an infographic of declining baseball teams in Massachusetts, because that’s what articles should be about these days. McKim must have checked out the Warrior Lacrosse 2012 Lookbook.
McKim’s piece reinforces stereotypes about lacrosse players being jerks based upon what they wear and how they act. Years ago, there was a stigma about laxers being wealthy and privileged. The tide has turned, and now outsiders say we are “lackadaisical” slackers. McKim should schedule an article for later this year exploring the option for a cataclysmic battle between the “prestigious laxers” versus the “lax bros,” much like the “greasers” versus the “socs.”
An article like this pops-up multiple times a year. Dear writers of the world, stop! We get it, you’re new to the sport and want to paint a canvas for the many newcomers each-and-every year. You’re not the first to do it, and as a result you have scribbled crap instead of a Matisse.
I don’t discourage individuality one bit. I love that fact that our sport brings so many different people together with their own unique style. That’s what makes the sport great! It’s an art. Do what you will with my remarks and sound off below.
