Canada has long been positioned as a sports superpower with both British and French roots, being deeply connected to the western market and bordering the most-hyped sports market in the world.

Not only does the nation of nearly 38 million people partake in a huge range of globally popular sports, but Canada has also been able to rise to the top of many major sports.

Furthermore, Canadians have been keen to put their own spin on some sports, establishing distinct iterations that celebrate their national aesthetic and culture.

For the purposes of health and fitness, competition, or as a recreational activity, it was found that some 27% of the population were regularly playing a form of sport, as per the 2016 General Social Survey.

[Read more…] about Lacrosse, Hockey Remain at the Forefront of Canadian Sports

For any up and coming or niche sport the holy grail is gaining acceptance into the Olympic Games, with an appearance there taking the sport from a select few loyal followers to a more mainstream audience.

This can have huge positive ramifications, including national sporting organizations pouring money into a previously underfunded sport, or the sport’s underappreciated stars finally getting their moment in the spotlight.

In this article we take a look at those sports that are on the brink of being accepted to the Olympic big time, as well as some that have already been trialed by the games but could be about to return bigger and better than ever.

Lacrosse

Of course, we must begin with our beloved game of Lacrosse, which over the years has battled in vain to be accepted as an Olympic sport. It did actually become a medal sport in 1908, but it took until 2018 for the IOC to consider bringing it back into the fold.

The aim has long been to have Lacrosse be a part of the 2028 in LA, where all of the sport’s founding fathers could be directly involved. At least if the games are in the US then the issue of players wishing to travel to the games on Haudenosaunee passports would not be an issue, as it has been for Iroquois teams in the past.

Surely it would be a missed opportunity for the whole Lacrosse world, of which the Iroquois are key figureheads, if the sport and all its participants were not invited to LA 2028. The IOC should think long and hard about a decision that could have ramifications well beyond Lacrosse fields for decades to come.

American Football

While Lacrosse is an ancient sport with a rich history that dates backs centuries, if not millennia, American Football is an altogether modern affair, with the NFL and NCAA boosting the sport to become one with a worldwide following, and sportsbooks falling over themselves to create inventive odds lines for big upcoming games.

Despite this level of popularity and growing recognition around the world, American Football has not featured at an Olympic Games since all the way back in 1932.

There had been hopes that, because the 1932 games were held in Los Angeles, it could be the perfect moment for the sport to make an Olympic return to the same city in 2028. Certainly, the demand would be there for the Games to feature American Football in 2028, as would no doubt be evident in the chat rooms, comment sections, and FanDuel sportsbook reviews published online in the lead-up to LA 2028, where NFL and NCAA fans would clamor for such additional gridiron action in their sports betting calendars.

Unfortunately, those dreams appear to have been dashed, as the IOC have made it quite clear that gridiron will not be taking an Olympic bow anytime soon.

One of their main gripes may be that it would be difficult to imagine an Olympic American Football event that the US would not completely dominate because, while the sport is played in other countries around the world, the level at which it is played pales in comparison to those seen in the NFL and NCAA league systems.

Moreover, it is unclear if NFL suits are that bothered by Olympic inclusion, because the IOC meddling in their affairs might not be high on their busy agendas.

Climbing

While Lacrosse and American Football will have to wait a little longer to be a part of the Olympic fervor, one sport that has recently managed to make the leap is climbing, or sports climbing to be precise. Tokyo 2020, or should we say 2021, will see the introduction of three climbing disciplines called Speed, Bouldering, and Lead.

The beauty of this sport being introduced into the Olympics is that its apparatus can be setup at virtually any Olympic venue. Using artificial climbing walls that have been around for decades, it’s not too difficult to recreate the conditions that would be found on some of the world’s most challenging cliffs and rock faces.

Ultimately, it is this longevity and worldwide appeal which the IOC are looking for when they consider adding new sports to their Olympic roster. Lacrosse would do well to take notes and see what can be learned from the likes of sports climbing, so that one day Lacrosse sticks can be wielded in earnest at an Olympic medal event.

Baseball and Softball

While US-based sports like Lacrosse and American Football have found it difficult to gain acceptance in Olympic circles, baseball and softball have had no such issue, and will feature at Tokyo 2020.

The thing that sets these sports apart from their American counterparts is that they boast standalone leagues around the world, most of which are completely independent from the most well-known MLB.

Allied to this is the fact that baseball is almost as popular in Japan as it is in the US, with the Nippon Professional Baseball League (formerly known as the J League) drawing huge interest right across Asia. No doubt this played a large part in the IOC’s decision to include baseball and softball in its 2020 Tokyo edition of the Games.

Surfing and Other Extreme Sports

There is a worry at the IOC that the Olympics as a brand may be losing the traction it has historically enjoyed with sports fans. This is due to many sports leagues and franchises pushing hard to dominate not only their traditional regular season schedules, but also to muscle in on summer schedules, which are usually reserved every four years for the Olympics.

To keep their brand fresh and up to date the IOC have included one of the coolest sports of them all for 2020, as surfing takes a bow in Tokyo.

Expect more such extreme sports to be included in the Olympic schedule as the IOC attempts to appeal to a new generation of sports fan.

 

The vast majority of sports have a major global tournament and lacrosse is no exception. After the women’s version of the world championships has been completed, it will be the turn of the men.

The men’s tournament was originally scheduled to take place in 2022 but, as the sporting world continues to catch up with delayed fixtures, the event has been pushed back a year. 2023 will therefore see the 30 best lacrosse playing nations take part in what should be the most entertaining competition yet.

Dates and Format

The 2023 edition of the men’s Lacrosse World Championships will be held in the United States of America. The Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California is intended to be the venue for all games throughout the tournament.

Exact dates have yet to be determined and, with qualifying places filling up, the format of the competition will be similar to 2018. Participating nations will be split into a series of divisions, each of which is named after a colour. From there, the best performing teams will progress into a series of straight knockout games.

The Federation of International Lacrosse, (FIL) will confirm the draw and finer details in due course but who are the teams most likely to lift the trophy?

Teams to Beat

Lacrosse isn’t a sport that is widely supported by the betting community but it is possible to find some markets for the biggest events. The world championships are the biggest of them all and the odds will begin to trickle in at the start of 2023.

One of the best places to check markets for so-called minority sports is at Sbo.net. Sports Betting Online link to hundreds of bookmakers and there will be options to stake on the main lacrosse event in 2023.

Early signs suggest that the USA will be the clear favourites with Canada and Australia likely to provide the closest challenges. There are a number of international lacrosse games on the schedule between now and the start of the world championships and the odds have scope to adjust.

As the new figures come in, Sbo.net will publish updated markets and readers can assess the odds in real time. Also available are breaking news stories and opinion articles together with extensive reviews of each sportsbook.

Armed with all of that knowledge, visitors to the site can get directly involved with the sporting markets. Any sports betting operator mentioned on those pages will be willing to accept new customers subject to eligibility criteria and a completed sign up form.

Registration is fast and secure and many bookmakers have a generous welcome offer waiting on the other side. Different deposit options are there for adding necessary funds while customer services can iron out any queries.

Once on board, additional benefits may include a range of other sports, mobile betting via an app and the potential for live streaming top class sporting events. It’s one of the few sites to provide betting coverage for lacrosse but are those market assessments correct?

Previous Winners

The 2023 edition of the men’s lacrosse world championships will be the 14th of its kind. Across the previous 13 events, the United States of America have been the dominant force. The USA has won no fewer than 10 of those previous 12 competitions.

The remaining three gold medals have gone to Canada so the North American countries really have had a monopoly on this tournament. There has been little room for other nations to make an impression but there are some indicators as to who could challenge for glory in 2023.

Behind the top two, Australia have traditionally put out a strong team. Australian sides have finished as runners up on three previous occasions and they’ve also won seven bronze medals as the third placed team.

 

The Verdict

It really is tough to see past the USA lacrosse team. They are the most successful squad in the history of the sport and, in 2023, they will also have home field advantage.

Depending on the draw, Canada and Australia will be hopeful of a rare success. It’s all to play for but every nation taking part will find it tough to get beyond that impressive United States squad.

The US leads the way in many sports but one which the rest of the world may not be so aware about is lacrosse. The reason for its popularity in the country is simple – it was first played by a number of Native American communities as long ago as 1100AD when games could involve hundreds of participants and last for a number of days.

 

Arguably, the sport’s heyday on the international stage came in the Olympic Games of 1904 and 1908 when it was a medal sport. But dwindling numbers of countries with national teams meant that in subsequent games it was relegated to a demonstration sport only.

 

Today, a total of 38 countries compete in the world championships – some way short of the 75 required for it to be considered for inclusion in the Olympics. The US and Canada remain dominant but, even so, the National Training Development Program aims to further cement this position by identifying and developing the future stars of the sport.

 

The NTDP explained

 

First introduced in 2019 and set to be relaunched in 2021, the program’s aim is to spot 150 of the most talented male and female high school lacrosse players and to help them maximize their skills. The ultimate aim will be for these players to compete for a place in their respective national teams.

 

There are three distinct phases to the program, all of which will all be completed within a year. The first of these is a series of regional try-outs to be held in conjunction with official tournaments being held around the country. There will be a total of 13 of these in all running from May 28 until July 9.

 

The 150 most promising players will then be invited to come to the national US Lacrosse HQ in August. After this, 22 player teams will be chosen to create the USA Select Under 16 and Under 18 squads who will take part in the Fall Classic to be held in October.

 

 

Who can qualify for the program?

 

The NTDP is exclusively for high school student athletes and there are strict age rules for eligibility:

• All applicants must have been born between September 1, 2002 and August 31, 2007
• For inclusion in the Under 18 category, players must have been born between September 1, 2002 and August 31, 2004
• For the Under 16 category these dates are September 1, 2004 and August 31, 2007

 

What will the try-outs involve?

 

The evaluations will last around 150 minutes and will be supervised by both US team coaches and national players. There will be a standard procedure and curriculum for every event to ensure everyone has an equal chance to demonstrate their skills.

 

Evaluators will be looking for key skills including athleticism, stickwork, positional awareness, decision-making, on-field dominance and a general aptitude for the sport.

 

While it’s hoped that all applicants will be able to apply through this method, US Lacrosse recognises that it might not be possible for everyone to attend in person. Therefore, there will also be an online application process, details of which are set to be released nearer to May.

 

In the first year of the program, in 2019, over 1,300 hopefuls applied, and it’s anticipated that 2021 will see even greater numbers.

 

Even for those who don’t make it through to final selection, the time and attention given by the coaches during the try-outs presents an invaluable opportunity for personal development.

 

The US sporting scene

 

The relaunch of the program after last year’s hiatus has come at a very exciting time for US sport in general. Interest in all sports has seen a huge boost thanks, in part, to the decision in 2018 by the US Supreme Court that betting on it should become legal in states that wish to allow it.

 

So far, around half of the country’s states have passed legislation to allow it and sportsbooks have been quick to open in order to satisfy the demand. A number of these are online-only making it even more convenient for fans to place their wagers.

 

This is also creating quite a financial boost for all of the major leagues, not least because many teams are also now striking up partnerships and sponsorship deals with sportsbooks.

A knock-on effect that may soon follow is even more would-be players hoping to be taken on by NFL, NBA and MLB teams.

 

Players needed

 

Fortunately, the US has one of the world’s most highly developed college scholarship programs to feed this desire for players wanting to take their particular sport to the next level. While it’s football and basketball that are the highest profile of these sports, lacrosse is making headway in this area too.

 

Many colleges now offer scholarships for the sport, with goalies being in particularly high demand. The good thing about scholarships – not all of them require writing custom essays for applying. As arguably the fastest-growing sport in the US we can probably expect to see many more places also opening up opportunities for players.

 

For talented high school lacrosse players, gaining a place on the NTDP would undoubtedly be a very good addition to any resumé – even more reason to apply.

 

So, this is all very positive news for the sport and, as its popularity grows worldwide, who’s to say that some of today’s young hopefuls won’t go on to pick up an Olympic medal one day in the future?

 

The lacrosse defensive tactic is robust and a pact where technical prowess is needed to ensure a winning for the defending team. However, defense is a team game and the stronger a lacrosse team defense operates as a unit the less the team will need to rely on the goalie making hero save after hero save.

Moreover, understanding team defense is also going to help aid in goalie communication and general team defense communication as each player will always know what each defender should be doing in every moment of the game. But there are many lacrosse checks that the player might find useful when playing defense. Remember that body checks are almost always more effective than stick checks.

More so, the abrupt ending of the 2020 lacrosse season and no one can actually guess when the 2021 season will begin. But there’s been plenty of movement in the offseason.

While it’s probably a greater challenge to forecast the upcoming season than in most years, according to  Sportsbookreview.com, the Whipsnakes are at 3/1 to win the 2021 Major League Lacrosse season which is due to their additions and their offseason play which have been very daunting.

There are top level lacrosse players out there who aren’t the biggest, strongest, or even the fastest athletes, and yet they still make their way onto the field. In fact, sometimes they even stand out as a team’s best player. From this simple fact, we know that overall lacrosse defending ability is not solely decided by one’s physical stature.

But in the high-scoring game of lacrosse, defense often makes the difference. The most successful teams and players have a strong foundation in the fundamentals of lacrosse stick checks. Below are the defensive checks that will help you play at your best at any level in the game of high-spirited Lacrosse.

Poke

The most basic lacrosse check for a long-stick defender is the poke check. To execute a poke, the player simply needs to hold the stick in a basic two-handed grip and use their bottom hand to push the stick through the top hand and out of the body, like a pool cue. This check can annoy and hopefully disrupt your opponent without making you lose body position. If you use one check, use the poke.

The poke check is most typically thrown when you initially play the attacker, as they are coming toward the defender. It can also be effective when thrown in the middle of a split dodge to disrupt the attacker as they make their move. To maximize the effectiveness of this check, the defender needs to make sure that they maintain their proper positioning.

Although, the poke check is one of the most basic checks in lacrosse and it can be extremely effective. But, every defender should know how to do a poke check as one of the foundational lacrosse defensive moves.

Lift

Just what it sounds like. Put your stick under their bottom hand and lift. This is a good check to interfere with passes and shots. Basically, this defensive check is an act of ensuring that the defender loses their balance and ball where the defender keeps lifting until it gets to the point where the ball or the attacker.

With the lift defending, the key is identifying the ball ending and trying those gloves on the hand, while constantly lifting and returning as the positioning is on par with the attacker until the defender forces the attacker out of position or enforcing the loss ball.

Although, the aim of this defensive check is for a defender to force escape by going to a one-handed cradle. But the player should quickly lift their stick under their arm and try to strike the “V” where their hand joins together with the stick. This can “be-twig” an opponent.

Slap

The slap check is a great check for the Lacrosse defenders to understand and as a rigorous expanded approach is a shortcoming to this advanced defensive check. While the defender hit the attack man with the head of their stick, using a slashing motion. But the player must be careful! Because this is a check that is most likely to get the defender called for slashing, and it makes them lose body position.

However, when mastered, the slap check is a very defensive addition to any team that wants to exert their dominance in a game.

Wrap

When your attack man is cradling with his back to you, hold your stick in a two handed grip, and wrap the stick around him while using your bottom hand to throw the end of the stick under your arm.

The wrap check is a dangerous approach because it’s a one hand maneuver and the defender does not have the complete control of his stick. However, it can be effective if the attacker has worked his way into a good shooting position close to the goal. Moreover, this check is more effective when the opposite hand faces each other.

Overhead

Use the wrap, but throw it over their head, instead. Be careful not to hit their helmet, as a head check is a penalty and will make your defense man-down.

The over the head check is a very dangerous check technique which requires more attention and cautions. If the defender doesn’t knock out the ball from the opponent’s stick, he is in a vulnerable position and will probably be dodging. Although, there are many over the head techniques, the simplicity will certainly keep the defender at advantage.

Ding Dong

The ding dong technique is a defensive exposing way, but the mastering of these techniques is an adventurous state that can quickly transition the defensive shape to the attacking prowess when the defensive is quite structured.

This technique starts by faking the overhead check and when the attacker tries to roll under the defender, he brings his stick down backwards on attack man stick or forearms.

Tick Tock

Tick tock can be so vague when they are not properly and cautiously managed by the defender and can further put the team in jeopardy, because a singular mistake from the defender will expose the team’s defensive structure and an act of commission will be penalized.

Further this check technique is a top to the toe where the defender constantly moves his stick back and forth over the attackman’s head, and when he brings his stick back for the cradle, pass, or shot, bring his stick down as hard as he can to enforce the error from the attackman..

Kayak

This is a technique that involves a fast attitude from the defender where he chokes up on his stick and hack at his opponent’s stick with the end of his shaft. This technique can swiftly turn the defense to attack when properly mastered with a coordinate defensive unit.