Lacrosse on TV

Last week, a big college women’s lacrosse matchup between Syracuse and Maryland was broadcast on ESPN3, the online streaming platform. As a result, the game received low viewership numbers — especially in comparison to the NCAA championship weekend viewing for other sports.

Those low ratings are a big part of the reason why it is difficult for the sport to gain an audience on television. Lacrosse is still in the early stages of gaining traction in the United States. The National Lacrosse League (NLL) has been able to draw in some viewers, but overall it is a very under-watched sport.

But if the sport wants to grow, it needs to be showcased on tv. That starts with the major networks. The NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments should be televised nationally, especially on the main ESPN channels. The ACC Tournament should also be televised, and more games should be aired on ESPNU. And finally, more midweek games need to be televised.

There are some good arguments to support these points, but the truth is that lacrosse has a long way to go before it becomes as big as soccer or football in this country. But it can be done if the right people are involved in making it happen.

Lacrosse on tv

The NLL and NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments are a good start, but it is time for the sport to expand its presence on TV. It is easy to see how a major network would be able to gain an audience by putting the sport on their schedules and giving it more coverage than it currently receives.

Fortunately, there are some great people working on getting the sport to where it needs to be. One of those people is John Vassallo, a senior coordinating producer for ESPN’s college lacrosse coverage. Vassallo is a huge advocate of the sport, and it shows in his work.

Vassallo believes that if more televised games were played in the regular season, it would help grow the sport’s popularity and give fans a chance to follow more teams throughout the year. Adding more games to the schedule is also something that would benefit smaller programs, who could build bigger brands by playing two or three televised games during the course of the season.

The upcoming 2024 season will feature more than 280 men’s college lacrosse games on ESPNU, ACC Network and ESPN+. Many of those games will be televised, including the ACC semifinals and final on May 3, and the national championship on ESPN.