COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, USA – World Lacrosse joins the global lacrosse community today in launching an integrated creative campaign that celebrates the origins of the game, along with its significant growth and ambitions to return to the Olympic Games.
Entitled ‘LAX: Indigenous Made, Globally Played’ and utilizing the hashtag #LAX28, the campaign is aimed at putting a spotlight on the sport and its Olympic-worthy heritage and credentials, while showcasing the scale of the international lacrosse community. The LAX campaign will also drive awareness for lacrosse of today: modern, progressive and accessible.
Launching the campaign on the International Day for the World’s Indigenous Peoples is intended to further celebrate the game’s unique Native American roots and the participation of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in World Lacrosse events.
At 11 a.m. ET, the campaign video will be shared across World Lacrosse’s social portfolio (@WorldLacrosse), as well as among the International Federation’s 77 member nations and four Continental Federations around the globe. Professional leagues – including Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse, the National Lacrosse League and the Premier Lacrosse League – will also be involved in the campaign and its launch.
Proud to be 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲, 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗱.
Join the movement and share using #LAX28. pic.twitter.com/dtvnsRAj9I
— World Lacrosse (@WorldLacrosse) August 9, 2022
The video will be part of upcoming lacrosse television coverage, including during the 2022 World Lacrosse Men’s U21 Championship that kicks off tomorrow in Limerick, Ireland, on ESPN and Lax Sports Network.
The campaign launches on the heels of the sport’s recent invitation to participate in the host city sport process for the LA28 Olympic Games.
World Lacrosse President Sue Redfern said: “This campaign is the perfect way to celebrate both our history and our future, recognizing and acknowledging our origins, while sharing the progress that puts us in a position to contend for a place in the Olympic Games. Our members, athletes and the wider global lacrosse community are overwhelmingly united in their support for our efforts to bring the game back to the world’s greatest stage.”
World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr said: “The last several decades, our sport has seen tremendous growth, including participation and fandom in new regions, investment from leading figures in adjacent sports, and the development of different styles of play. This campaign emphasizes lacrosse’s origins, its evolution and the next generation of competition, which hopefully includes an opportunity to showcase the game in the Olympic arena.”
Dating back nearly 1,000 years, lacrosse originated in Native American tribes as a healing game and has grown into an internationally recognized sport. In 2018, the lacrosse sixes discipline was introduced, shaped specifically for 21st century athletes, fans, partners and event hosts, emphasizing athleticism, tempo, sustainable development and global balance.
In the U.S. alone, lacrosse has nearly 14M fans and more than 2M people play the game annually. It is the fastest growing NCAA sport for two decades running, having expanded to 912 teams and more than 28,000 athletes. World Lacrosse’s recent women’s world championship garnered more than 6 million digitally viewed minutes on ESPN, a broadcast partner through 2023.
On an international level, World Lacrosse’s 77 national member federations across all five International Olympic Committee-recognized continents represent a growth of 80 percent in the last 10 years.
