Men’s Lacrosse Popularity: NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships To Return To Baltimore, “The Heart Of Lacrosse”, As Attendance At Gillette Stadium In Boston Area Declined

Weekend attendance includes Division II and III title games.

After spending the past two springs at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the NCAA men's lacrosse Final Four comes back to M&T Bank Stadium over Memorial Day weekend in 2010 and 2011 before returning to the Boston area in 2012.

Lacrosse’s version of the prodigal son returns to Baltimore – albeit on a temporary basis.

Tickets will go on sale today for the 2010 championship weekend in Baltimore. Some observers say the event is returning to Baltimore not a moment too soon. Attendance at Gillette Stadium was among the lowest for a men’s lacrosse Final Four.

“I’m a New York guy, and I went to school in New York, but I realize that in terms of a concentrated area, that is the heart of lacrosse,” CBS College Sports analyst Paul Carcaterra, a former Syracuse All-America midfielder, said of Baltimore. “You can argue that New York is a better state than Maryland in terms of lacrosse on the high school and college lacrosse levels. But from the standpoint of a concentrated area, when you’re talking about New York, you’re talking from Syracuse to Long Island, which can be 300 miles in some cases. When you think about Maryland lacrosse, you think about a concentrated 45-mile area. It is the heartland in terms of being that centrally located area.”

Others believe it’s convenient for more fans to travel and watch the games, too.

“I just think Baltimore is better situated to service the fans,” said Quint Kessenich, ESPN analyst and former Johns Hopkins All-America goalie. ” Southwest Airlines can fly you to BWI [Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport] cheap. The hotels are nearby, [so] you don’t have to rent a car. And it’s the Northeast corridor – D.C., Virginia, New Jersey. Think about the amount of fans within a four-hour radius.”

The NCAA enjoyed unheard-of success when staging the three-day tournament – which includes the Division I final and semifinals and the Division II and III finals – at the Ravens’ M&T Bank Stadium.

Baltimore hosted in 2003, 2004 and 2007 and set attendance records in each of those years. The announced 51,719 who showed up to watch the Division I semifinals in 2007 is still a single-day record for the tournament.

So when the city joined Boston, Denver and the Meadowlands in New Jersey in submitting bids for the 2010 to 2012 final fours, the decision to return to Baltimore was not complicated.

“They were with us from the beginning when they were the first NFL stadium [to host the Final Four in 2003], and they’ve had that commitment,” said Tim Pavlechko, a senior associate athletic director at Bucknell University who chairs the selection committee. “I think as a committee and as a sport, it’s important for us to look at this championship as something that we’re trying to continue to grow and take it to levels above where we are now. And we know bringing it to Baltimore will certainly help us achieve more of those goals.”

Nurturing the sport’s growth played a role in the NCAA’s decision to send the men’s Final Four to Philadelphia in 2005 and 2006 and Boston in 2008 and 2009. The 2008 title game had the largest crowd (48,970) to watch a tournament final, but last month’s semifinals drew just 36,594 – the smallest crowd to watch the event since it was moved to professional stadiums after the 2002 season.

NCAA officials said a factor in the declining attendance was a poor economic climate and cited similar falling numbers at sporting events such as the Preakness and major league baseball games. But Kessenich said Boston doesn’t have the lacrosse community that Baltimore or Philadelphia has.

“There’s a recession, but when you’re in Boston, you’re so reliant on people from outside ZIP codes,” he said. “You have to fly here or drive long distances, and it’s an expense. Baltimore, Philly, New Jersey give more day-trippers an opportunity. So I’m a big fan of that. And I think the overall experience in Baltimore and Philly is better than the fan experience here. The folks here have done a great job and I love this venue, but outside of the lacrosse games, I don’t think the experience lives up to what we see in Baltimore and Philly.”

Baltimore has seven Division I schools within a 90-minute drive and seven Division III institutions within a three-hour commute. The city is also home to the Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame, US Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse magazine.

And Towson University has submitted a bid to host the 2010 women’s lacrosse final four, also on Memorial Day weekend.

“Baltimore has such a rich lacrosse tradition, and the city really supports the sport, which is part of the reason why US Lacrosse is here,” said Colleen Aungst, a US Lacrosse spokeswoman. “It’s just a natural fit, and we’re excited that it’s going to be right here in our backyard.”

City officials estimated that the 2007 weekend generated $15 million in economic impact, and the stadium’s proximity to restaurants, hotels and shopping is one reason Mike Partridge of Atlanta and his family have already reserved tickets for 2010 and are making similar plans for 2011.

“Baltimore is the best spot because it brings together the ‘family’ of the lacrosse world,” Partridge wrote in an e-mail. “Kids from all over the country gather together in the Inner Harbor for what becomes the mecca of lacrosse for a few days. The city is focused on the event, and there is a buzz about lacrosse everywhere that you go.

“Lacrosse takes over the entire city. [M&T Bank] Stadium is within walking distance of a bunch of hotels, and there is a community feel even as you walk from your hotel to the games.”

Now the onus is on Baltimore to prove its claim to be the sport’s hotbed. Carcaterra said he believes the lacrosse community will respond.

“I think Baltimore will draw a tremendous amount of people,” he said. “I would be rather shocked if Baltimore doesn’t draw 50,000 next year.”

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bal-sp.lacrosse16jun16,0,5099195.story