Former NLL Cities

The NLL season begins in a couple weeks, so in anticipation of new teams entering the league in the near future, I want to highlight some former teams. NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz is very passionate about expanding the League and it'll be awesome to see new (or old) cities hosting a team.

I enjoy going to the local away games (I live near Buffalo, so the Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks are relatively close), but I've also had some opportunities to watch the Bandits play in other cities. Some of the teams have since relocated or dispersed. Here's short reviews of them:

New York Titans

(Prudential Center- Newark, NJ/ Madison Square Garden, NYC)

The Game: NLL playoff game. A group of us decided to make the drive from Buffalo to New Jersey. When we arrived we were greeted by mostly Bandits fans. Sad attendance overall- the crowd looked even tinier because the game was played where the NHL New Jersey Devils play.

Would the NLL benefit from a team in NJ/ NYC?: Probably not. The NY Titans played from both MSG and the Prudential Center. Renting out MSG was too much (it costs $100,000ish a night to rent!). Maybe the Barclays Center would work out, though, considering the diversity there. Also, living legend John Tavares's nephew, John Tavares, plays for the Islanders so there's a potential marketing opportunity to draw a crowd.

Orlando Titans

(the old Amway Arena- Orlando, FL)

The Game: Regular season game. Amazing weather, and a lot of the Bandits players' families were able to make the trip down. Poorly attended, however. Most of the tickets were probably comped because the biggest group was the Bandits family section. Despite that, the Bandits still lost. One of the local radio stations was posted outside with tickets at the door- fans had to say the password "lacrosse" to receive free tickets. Another interesting thing was the team sold Powell merchandise- the team capitalized on its roster.

Would the NLL benefit from a team in FL?: Possibly. The Georgia Swarm did pretty well its first year down south and lacrosse in the area is growing pretty rapidly. A rivalry could be created if a team is placed a reasonable distance from the Swarm. Florida is also the home to powerful and growing college and university lacrosse programs, as well as IMG Academy, so the opportunity is there.

Washington Stealth

(Xfinity Arena- Everett, WA)

The Game: Regular season game. Quite the trip up from Seattle (about 45 minutes without traffic). The Stealth played in a smaller arena, so the 2,000ish fans there actually made an impact. My sister and I saw some Bandits jerseys among the crowd, so we weren't the only crazy ones. Interestingly enough, we ran into Kyle Couling there ("Hey! That's my autograph on your jersey!").

Would the NLL benefit from a team in WA?: I think so. Attendance grew and lacrosse is growing rapidly in Washington and the west coast as a whole. As said in the Orlando Titans section, a rivalry could be created by placing a team a couple hours away from the (now) Vancouver Stealth. Also, the population of Native American/ First Nations people in the area boosts attendance. Establishing relationships with local tribes can also build the fan base, as seen with other NLL teams.

For NLL news, team rosters and the 2017 season schedule, head over to www.nll.com!