About MLL

BACKGROUND:

During the summer of 1998, Jake “Body By Jake” Steinfeld was inspired to start a professional outdoor lacrosse league after reading a magazine article about the growth of the sport of lacrosse. Steinfeld sought out a contributor to the article, Dave Morrow, Owner and President of Warrior Lacrosse, a leading lacrosse equipment manufacturer, to discuss formation of such a league.
 
In February 1999 Steinfeld and Morrow joined forces with Steinfeld’s friend and business associate Tim Robertson, Chairman of Bay Shore Enterprises and former CEO of the Family Channel, to form Major League Lacrosse, LLC, a Virginia limited liability company. In 2003, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. came on board as a Founding Member of Major League Lacrosse, as well as an Anchor Level League Sponsor.
 
Major League Lacrosse began play in 2001, to capitalize on the growing demand for world-class field lacrosse driven by dramatic growth in the U.S. lacrosse market. The MLL was praised and heralded for its on-field play, regarded as the best ever seen. With a year-on-year attendance increase, Major League Lacrosse has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports.

OUR TEAMS:

The MLL is comprised of six teams across the US and Canada. The Boston Cannons, Long Island Lizards, and Chespeake (formerly Baltimore, Washington) Bayhawks have been members of the League since its inception in 2001. The Chicago Machine and Denver Outlaws began play in 2006 as part of the League’s western expansion. The Toronto Nationals joined the MLL in 2009 as the League’s first international team.

OUR PLAYERS:

The 240 best lacrosse players in the world-well-spoken, articulate young men from some of the top academic institutions, including Princeton, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Duke, and Virginia. MLL icons include Ryan Boyle, Jesse Hubbard, John Grant Jr., and Brodie Merrill. The League also features current stars in lacrosse such as Paul Rabil, Kevin Leveille, and Nicky Polanco.

OUR SEASON:

The 2010 Major League Lacrosse season consists of a total of  36 regular season games running from May to August with the following league-run special events – Warrior Major League Challenge and Collegiate Draft (May), All-Star Game (July), and Major League Lacrosse Championship Weekend (August). The tenth season of MLL action is slated to begin May 15, 2010.  The 2010 MLL All-Star Game will take place on Thursday, July 8th in Boston, Massachusetts at Harvard Stadium. The season will culminate with the MLL Championship Weekend presented by Warrior, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

OUR GAME:

Major League Lacrosse has implemented some innovative dynamics to the traditional game of field lacrosse that bring the sport into the next millennium. MLL rule changes include the addition of a two-point goal line located 16 yards from each goal and a 60-second shot clock. New for 2009, Major League Lacrosse will allow a fourth long-pole defenseman. This move brings MLL rules more in-line with those at the high school and collegiate levels, where a fourth pole is allowed. This addition is expected to assist in creating closer games by helping to generate a more balanced game at the professional level.

ANCHOR LEVEL PARTNERS:

Anheuser-Busch, New Balance, and Warrior Lacrosse.

OFFICAL PARTNERS:

Body by Jake Global, Brine, Cascade, Gatorade, Great Atlantic Lacrosse Company, Upper Deck and US Lacrosse

SPONSORSHIP:

A full range of integrated sponsorship packages are available. Partnerships can include league/team category exclusivity, special events rights, corporate branding on player uniforms, national TV commercial units and in-game TV features, field signage, SLASH Magazine ads, web site banners, tickets/hospitality, game footage, photo usages, player appearances, customized activation, and cross-promotional programs.

TELEVISION:

ESPN2 has been the national television home of Major League Lacrosse since 2003, when the two parties agreed on a two-year commitment. In 2004, ESPN aired the New Balance Championship Game, making it the first live national telecast of a Major League Lacrosse competition. In 2007, Major League Lacrosse and ESPN reached an agreement that extended their relationship through the 2016 season, which is the longest commitment that any television outlet has given to a lacrosse entity.
 
The partnership between the MLL and ESPN continued to grow when on June 9, 2007, ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband network, streamed its first MLL game live from INVESCO Field at Mile High. ESPN360.com went on to stream 5 more MLL events that season. In 2008, all 64 MLL games, including the All-Star game, both, Semi-Finals, and the NB ZIP MLL Championship Game were streamed live on ESPN360.com. After airing live, the games were archived on the website for a period of one week.
 
In 2008, MLL licensed its broadcast and digital media rights to Lax United Marketing (LUM). The license is for five (5) years with LUM having two additional five (5) year options. The 2008 season also marked the first time in League history that every regular season MLL game was broadcast live on regional sports networks throughout the country. Lax United Marketing syndicated every game not available on ESPN2, including the second MLL Semi-Final from Boston to top regional sports networks such as Comcast Sports Net, Fox Sports Net, Cox Sports, Time Warner Cable, Charter Communications, Brighthouse, Charter Sports and CN8.
 
In 2010, ESPN2 will air a total of 6 MLL games, including live broadcasts of the All-Star Game (July 8) from Boston, as well as the first Semi-Final game (August 21) and the MLL Championship Game presented by Warrior (August 22) from Annapolis.