Sexual Assault in Lacrosse

When one hears the term Sexual Assault one can link it to many people and or sports. An infamous case of sexual assault was that of the allegations the Duke Blue Devils had against them. The Duke men's lacrosse team held a party around April of 2007, at this party they paid for two exotic dancers. One of the dancers later on claimed she was sexually assaulted, raped and kidnapped. Three individuals of the team were brought up on charges of all three offenses. Though through a tough legal battle all the charges against the three athletes were dropped. With that being said, Mike Pressler coach of the then Blue Devils lacrosse team was still fired despite the dropping of charges. 8 years later Duke is now back at the top of Mens Division I lacrosse, with no problems in sight.

Sexual Assault among Athletes

As one may know, there are many athletes that don't always do the right thing. Whether it be making controversial statements, getting involved in and or initiating fights, and of course the big one Sexual Assault. A case that sticks out in particular is Kobe Bryant's sexual assault allegation. This happened around 2004 when Kobe Bryant's career was on the rise. At this time Kobe had two NBA titles on his resume and he was continuing to wow crowds. Though when in Colorado awaiting a minor knee surgery Kobe slipped up. He was shown around the hotel by a young 19 year old employee, who he then would have sexual relations with this young women. The girl 19 at the time Bryant was 24, though one might think this is perfectly fine the girl claimed Mr. Bryant forced himself upon her. Upon police interview, Mr. Bryant denied any forceful altercations with the female and swore many times that the interaction was consensual. Bryant was never convicted of this sexual assault, though not being convicted he lost tons of money. His prized endorsements were stripped from his grasps and his family nearly torn apart at the time. We don't know if he did it or not though time tells all.

Athletes in the Media

Just like the Beyonce media outbreak, other athletes have experienced the same treatment and or criticism. A local athlete that has received similar criticism is Jalil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers. When the 19 year old rising star was drafted everyone was star struck. He is a great young player and a great person to have on the sixers. Though when he began getting in trouble, for instance the brawl he was involved in outside of a Philadelphia night club. Or when he was pulled over going across the bridge into Philly going 108 mph. Moods about the young star quickly changed and many fans now despised Okafor. Though after some time and Jahlil's consistent big numbers talks became good again.

Beyonce's Controversial Performance

With the Super Bowl still fresh in everyone's minds, the halftime show stands out particularity. The performance of the new single "Formation" by Beyonce is turning the world upside down. This years' halftime show was action-packed and lively with appearances From Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and the star of the show Beyonce. Many people, after hearing this song recognize that this song touches on a lot of the recent political controversies with African-Americans. This being said, people are speaking out and saying Beyonce chose the wrong place and wrong time to perform this song.

So is Beyonce wrong for performing her new single "Formation"?. In my opinion, I don't think so. Here's why, during the Super Bowl the majority of viewers are more focused on the game or on the newest commercials than anything else. Personally I did watch the game in its entirety, halftime show and all, and I found nothing wrong with the performance. Beyonce's performance did exactly what it was supposed to do, and that was to entertain. The formation her background dancers made and the synchronized choreography is what was able to draw the viewers attention. Me personally I experienced trouble even making out all of the words to the song. This leads me to believe that, that is exactly why all of the controversy about this song came out after the Super Bowl. All it is, is reporters looking for a good story, and hey they got it! Beyonce did her job to entertain and the media is doing there job to make claims.  

The Biggest Stage in Sports

As we know the Super Bowl just passed yesterday. This once a year game is undoubtedly the biggest sporting event of the year for any sport. People are glued to their TV's or desperately trying to get tickets or looking for somewhere to watch this event. Men's College lacrosse is similar in a few ways. Little do many people know College lacrosse is a pretty big deal, at least here on the east it is. The NCAA tournament for lacrosse is all out excitement from the time it starts all the way down to the National Championship game. All three collegiate levels of the sport receive the same excitement, there is no drop of between divisions. Last year, the Final Four and National Championship Game were held in Philadelphia,PA. The turnout was amazing, vendors from every nearby business were present and thousands upon thousands of people. Now the Super Bowl is one day, the crowds for the tournament lasted an entire weekend. I even struck out trying to get tickets to one of the games. If lacrosse keeps growing as it is now, one day it may be the biggest stage in sports.

Intro

This blog will be dedicated to lacrosse, I am a senior in high school and I am going into my second year of the sport, my position is D-Mid. Though I've only been playing a short while, I have grown a great love for the sport of Lacrosse. I was introduced to the sport by a few mutual friends and loved it ever since. The physicality of the game intrigues me as well as the ties the game shares with other sports. Throughout this here blog I will be focusing on the men's game predominately. If one knows the game well, they know that the professional level of the sport isn't all that mainstream yet. Though the collegiate game is very well known and supported. A few of my favorite college teams that I keep my eye on happen to be Syracuse, Maryland, and Duke. When I play lacrosse I enjoy playing with my high school teammates either at school or the local turf fields. As any lacrosse player knows one must always be improving their skills to remain a dominant force in the game.

On this blog, I'd like to discuss a few specific topics regarding the sport as well as every day happenings of lacrosse. Looking in, it does not take one long to realize the sport isn't all that diverse racially. A predominantly white and Native east coast sport, that has not gained much traction in other regions or cultures. Just last year, the collegiate game of lacrosse seen it's first national champion that is not located on the east coast the Denver Pioneers. Another topic that will be discussed is just that of why college lacrosse is more popular than the professional game. As well as this, as the season approaches I will provide game recap for the top games. Stay tuned to this blog and you won't be disappointed.