Giants Stadium Set To Host Inaugural Big City Lacrosse Classic

Ticket sales for this weekend's inaugural Big City Lacrosse Classic at Giants Stadium already exceed 17,000, and a "decent walk-up could yield the biggest regular-season crowd in the sport's history," according to Steve Marcus of NEWSDAY. A Denver-Ohio State matchup at Ohio Stadium last season set the current record, drawing 29,601 fans. Tickets to the event, which is a tripleheader featuring Virginia-North Carolina, Syracuse-Princeton and Hofstra-Delaware, are priced from $25-40. Marcus notes lacrosse's popularity "lies way east of the Mississippi, a sport still largely unknown in many [parts] of the country," but event promoter Inside Lacrosse, who is reportedly spending $500,000 to host the event, is hoping that "heavy New York exposure, in big time stadiums, could change that." Marcus notes the games "translate into a big infomercial for the sport" and Inside Lacrosse. However, Inside Lacrosse Dir of New Business Development Andrew Bilello said, "We are not going to make a lot of money on it. We're looking at it as we are growing the sport as we're growing our business" (NEWSDAY, 4/3).

ON THE BIG STAGE: In Newark, Jenny Vrentas writes not only will the event "put the sport on a main stage in the tri-state area for the first time -- Giants Stadium has never hosted a lacrosse game -- it also will be an audition" for the venue as a possible future host of the NCAA Lacrosse Championships. Giants Stadium was one of four finalists for the previous rounds of bids, but lost out to Baltimore and Boston. The event's attendance "will be an important line on the Meadowlands' resume." Princeton coach Bill Tierney said of being invited to play in the event, "Your first reaction is, 'No,' from a very provincial standpoint. But lacrosse is at a precipice right now; we have an opportunity right now, if you can step back from your own little world" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 4/3).