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Rula Abuamouneh
Professor Moore
AMS 100
15 October 2007
When people think of sports related to the United States, many people think of baseball, basketball, and football. Although all these sports were established in America, the one sport that came before them all was lacrosse. Lacrosse is considered to be America’s first sport. The sport was first invented by the Native Americans and then modified to be part of the French and Canadian cultures as well. Lacrosse is a sport that has many qualities of many other sports. It is a combination of basketball, soccer, football and hockey. It is a game that requires speed, coordination, and vigilance. Lacrosse is a game that is full of long field sprints with precision, passing, and dodging.
When Lacrosse was invented by the Native Americans in the early 1500’s as a part of their religion it was played to help resolve conflicts, heal the sick, and strengthen the men of the tribes. After it was brought upon by the natives, the French named it, and the Canadians helped spread it. The early history of lacrosse shows that it was a game to get young men ready for war. Lacrosse games back then could last up to three days. The game was tough and often brutal. Sticks were used as clubs to strike opponents. A game could consist of a thousand players and spread over miles of rough terrain. Trees or rocks would be used to mark the goals. The object of the game was to score a goal by throwing the ball into a net, which was guarded by a goalie. One rule that remains constant with any rules of lacrosse is that the ball cannot be touched by any of the players’ hands. It wasn’t until the early 1800’s that the French started to turn lacrosse into a more civilized game.
Lacrosse traditionally had many different purposes. Conflict resolution and training of young warriors was only one part of the game. Games could be played on a pitch over a mile wide and sometimes lasted for days. Often players...