Professional Lacrosse is here, and it’s here for good. The Professional Lacrosse League (PLL) has eight teams that have been assigned to various major cities across the country from California to our very own Boston, Massachusetts.
Lacrosse is a thrilling, aggressive sport that dates back to Native North American tribes as early as the 12th century. The PLL is the largest American Lacrosse league, and has been packed with action since its inaugural season in 2019. The PLL wasn’t the first attempt at making a professional lacrosse league, as in 1986 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was created. But in addition to decades of unjust player treatment and low wages, the PLL’s creation was the straw that broke the MLL’s back and led to its merger with the PLL in 2020. The PLL will continue its touring model in the following years despite the assignment of home cities, but each team will play a doubleheader game in their respective home stadiums at least once in the season.
The location of these PLL teams means a lot for the league and its fans, and with this comes new logos and even a whole team rebrand. The shift to city-based teams will allow the PLL to create a more loyal and local fan base. It will also help spread the knowledge of the sport to youth in the area, through the PLL’s Youth Academy which is set to hold clinics in the local area featuring the stars of each team. There were some obvious choices made with the selections of these cities, such as the Redwoods being located in the state of California (with no specific city) and the Cannons moving back to the city of Boston which they played back in the MLL. Along with these obvious choices, there are some unexpected locations as well, with the Chaos team being placed in the Carolinas and the Atlas team being placed in the state of New York. As for the rebranded team, the Chrome has now become the Denver Outlaws, a former MLL team with a couple championships under their belts from back in the day. The reigning champions, the Utah Archers, will most likely be playing around the Salt Lake City area, and the two-time PLL champion Whipsnakes represent the state of Maryland. Rounding off the eight PLL teams we have Philadelphia, home to the Waterdogs, the newest addition to the PLL outside of the Cannons who moved from the MLL in 2021.
Along with the locations being announced, each team got a new logo as well as new secondary logos with some even getting thirds. It is unclear if the teams will get complete gear redesigns or just incorporate the new logos, but we will likely be seeing a brand new set of gear for each team this year as well as a ton of new merchandise for fans of all teams. With the teams relocating to their new locations this upcoming season, this could bring in much more awareness for the league, possibly helping Professional Lacrosse go mainstream. The young energetic fanbase of the PLL is ready and excited for this upcoming season, and is ready to see what this league has in store in the upcoming year.
