Rabil's league would be tour-based instead of teams having specific home citiesSAM BRETTSCHNEIDER
MLL N.Y. Lizards MF Paul Rabil is "starting a new outdoor league with a group of sports and media investors led by the Raine Group, setting up a battle with the existing league to secure the best players," according to sources cited by Scott Soshnick of BLOOMBERG NEWS. Sources said that the six-team Premier Lacrosse League "will begin play next summer" and has "secured the participation of a number of well-known players, including those on Team USA and Canada." Sources said that the players "will be full-time employees, receive health benefits and get an undisclosed equity stake in the league." The PLL season "will run from June to September, meaning it won’t overlap" with the indoor NLL or college lacrosse seasons. Unlike traditional sports leagues, where each team is based in a particular city, the PLL will "implement a tour-based model whereby teams will travel to a particular city at the same time and play a series of games on Saturday and Sunday" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/25). INSIDE LACROSSE's Foy & Devitte reported multiple players intending to play in PLL next year, but who had played in MLL last summer, said that "more than 100 players provided notice to the MLL league office of their intentions." Sources also said that PLL leadership is in "conversations with multiple broadcast networks over acquiring its linear and digital rights" (INSIDELACROSSE.com, 9/25). US LACROSSE MAGAZINE's Matt DaSilva noted the Raine Group’s portfolio "includes advisory clients" such as UFC, DC United and Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer. It is also an "investor in DraftKings." Rabil has "become the face" of lacrosse with a "massive social media following, a weekly podcast and numerous endorsement deals" (USLAXMAGAZINE.com, 9/25).
TWITTER REAX: Hawks G Jeremy Lin: "Doing big things @PaulRabil !! Great stuff bro." US Lacrosse Magazine: "Lacrosse world buzzing." Bloomberg News' Eben Novy-Williams: "There's a revolution afoot in professional lacrosse, and it's being led by @PaulRabil, the sport's Michael Jordan." NPR's Scott Hensley: "Anybody who underestimates @PaulRabil is making a big mistake." Yahoo Finance's Daniel Roberts: "Smart, @PaulRabil." The Lacrosse News: "@PaulRabil's shot across the bow of @MLL_Lacrosse indicates that, despite MLL's recent moves, he still believes the league isn't doing as much as it could for its players and fans." Tegna's Ian Hill: "Interested in how @PaulRabil will apply lessons about the #lacrosse x the sports entertainment business from the MLL and - perhaps more importantly - the @LXMPRO. And what does this mean for the MLL?"
