In what is shaping up to be a year of major reconstruction from a PR perspective, the 2019 Major League Lacrosse season is just around the corner for the league’s six remaining teams.
The goal of this year’s strategic plan for the MLL is to expand to more strategic markets and give fans greater accessibility to watch these games and obtain better playing qualities for players and sponsors.
The biggest change for the MLL is the disbanding of three teams, as the Ohio Machine, Florida Launch, and Charlotte Hounds will not compete in 2019. These teams were all owned by Jim Davis, who is the founder and chairman of New Balance. The Charlotte Hounds are slated to return in 2021 when a new stadium is built for them.
This disbandment of the teams comes after the ownership unanimously decided that an owner can only have one team. If these other teams found new owners, they could possibly be reinstated into the league.
The six remaining teams are the Boston Cannons, the New York Lizards, the Denver Outlaws, the Atlanta Blaze, the Chesapeake Bayhawks, and the Dallas Rattlers.
Locally, all of the Boston Cannons games are being broadcasted on NBC Sports Boston, which marks the first time this has happened for this team. What makes this such a big deal is it will allow fans in the area to be able to view their games without being in attendance. In the past, only select games were televised, so broadcasting the whole season is a major step in the right direction.
Other major changes are an increase in the salary cap for all teams, an extended schedule that is more player and fan-friendly, and a more community programming to increase the fan bases of each team.
All of this comes at the same time as the Premier Lacrosse League is rearing up for its rookie season. The PLL is a traveling lacrosse league comprised of six teams battling it out in eight major cities throughout the summer. All of their games will air on NBC Sports and other affiliated platforms.
Starting in Boston and ending in San Jose, Texas, the PLL is going to be a serious competitor of the MLL. The league was co-founded by lacrosse superstar Paul Rabil, alongside his brother Mike Rabil, who is an investor. Their goal is to create a player-first model of lacrosse that allows the best players in the world to be showcased at an elite level.
It will be interesting to see how the inaugural season of the PLL goes and how it will affect the MLL.
