Lacrosse is one of the oldest team sports in North America, with its origin dating back to the 1400s.
Native Americans originally played the game, known then as "baggataway," with hundreds and sometimes thousands of players, and often women and men competed together on the same team.
These massive games would last two to three days and often the goals were miles apart.
It was not until the early 1800s that French settlers started adopting the game.
Lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey, and the game uses the same principles of the early game.
In the mid 1900s, lacrosse's popularity continued to grow in America. Today nearly 25,000 men play lacross at over 400 colleges and universities that have programs sanctioned b the school's athletic department or the club sports department.
There are currently 210 teams participating at NCAA Division I, II and III universities and colleges that compete for national championships.
The women's game is played with somewhat different rules and equipment.
