Major League Lacrosse is a professional outdoor Lacrosse league that is made up of teams within the United States. The league is currently made up of 10 teams in two conferences, Eastern and Western.
The MLL began regular season play in June of 2001. The MLL was founded by Jake Steinfeld, Dave Morrow and Tim Robertson in 1999. Steinfeld is well-known for creating the "Body By Jake" line of exercise equipment and videos. Morrow is a former All-American lacrosse player and the president of Warrior Lacrosse. The season runs from May to August. MLL rules that differ from traditional lacrosse rules include: a two-point goal line 16 yards from each goal, a 60-second shot clock, a limit of three long-stick defensemen per team and the elimination of the restraining box. The 60-second shot clock was changed from a 45-second shot clock in 2005. On January 13, 2001, MLL conducted its first draft. After the league assigned each team three players, goalie Sal LoCascio was the first player selected by Bridgeport. MLL announced on March 9, 2005, that the league would expand to Los Angeles for the 2006 season; the team will play its home games at The Home Depot Center and will be operated by AEG, Inc. The league announced on July 2 that Denver, Colorado would also be an expansion city with a team playing at INVESCO Field at Mile High. The league later added teams in Chicago, Illinois and San Francisco, California and created a western conference for these teams, which started in the 2006 season. Since the league's inception it has gained numerous sponsors that have helped the league grow. Current sponsors include New Balance, Warrior, Bud Light, Tommy Hilfiger, Gatorade, Cascade, Brine, Gear-Up Sports, Under Armour, First National Bank of Omaha, Starbucks, The Great Atlantic Lacrosse Company, and Body by Jake. The league was divided into the American Division — Boston, Bridgeport (moved to Philadelphia in 2004) and Long Island — and the National Division — Baltimore (moved to Washington after the 2006 season), New Jersey and Rochester — from 2001 until 2005. The league played a 14-game regular season its first two years; in 2003, the schedule was cut to 12 games. The playoff format will have the top teams in each division advancing to the New Balance MLL Championship Weekend while the two teams with the best records regardless of division will be the Championship Weekend’s two wildcard entries. The MLL plans to add two more western expansion teams in the future. Cities under consideration are Cincinnati, Dallas, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis.[1][2][3]ESPN2 has televised games since the 2003 season. On March 14, 2007 the two agreed to a television contract that will run until the 2016 season.[1]
United States
