The PLL and Paul Rabil

This Highlighter of Wednesday’s Weekly Lacrosse Content is all about the new PLL and its founder, Paul Rabil. Most lacrosse fans have heard about the PLL at this point, but plenty still have questions. Who exactly is playing? When can I start to watch? Will the PLL be in my hometown? Hopefully we can answer all those questions for you and set you up to become a new PLL fan.

What is the PLL?

Paul Rabil, and others, formed the Premier Lacrosse League and have based it out of Los Angeles, California. Mike Rabil, Paul’s brother, is another founder of the league that will operate on a touring basis. This means that there will never be a “home” team in the PLL, and that PLL teams will all have no home. While many might think this is counterproductive to growing fan bases, it actually may have an opposite effect. The PLL isn’t exactly trying to market to people so they become fans of specific teams; they are trying to make people fans of lacrosse. The MLL has shown that despite concentrated efforts to generate a loyal following, the fans haven’t been showing up to games. The MLL also lacks a serious television deal and can’t seem to keep consistent viewership. This is where the PLL comes in.

The PLL is going to take the lacrosse world by storm and make lacrosse more available to you than ever. The teams will travel around the country spreading the game of lacrosse, and the PLL has a deal with NBC Sports to broadcast games for you to watch at home. Right now, the Premier Lacrosse League can really only go up from here.

Who is playing in the PLL?

Well, if they have played professional lacrosse recently and you know their name, they are probably about to be playing in the MLL. As of now, 157 players are slated to be playing in the PLL and many are household names. Trevor Baptiste, several from the Thompson family, Will Manny, Scotty Rodgers, Ben Reeves, Matt Rambo, and many others are on the list. Chances are good that your favorite player is signed up to play in the Premier Lacrosse League, and now you have a better chance to see them play. Those who decided not to make the move to the PLL still have the option to play in the MLL, and this only makes playing in the MLL a more attainable goal for many college players while the PLL takes these 157 players away. These players will be split into six teams for this first season, but the team names are yet to be announced.

 When will the PLL start?

The Premier Lacrosse League will start their inaugural season in June 2019. They will compete on weekends for 14 weeks. The first 12 weeks will be the “regular season” with playoffs to follow. This season will start with six teams, but I’d expect an expansion to be likely if this first year is successful.  There is a high chance that all of the current hype and build up will translate into that success and take the PLL to the next level shortly.

Where will the PLL teams be?

Since there are no “home cities” to the teams of the PLL, they will travel to cities around the country. Los Angeles is obviously a given for some games, but the rest is yet to be announced. Don’t be surprised if you see Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, D.C., New York City, or Orlando on the list though. The PLL will be using several MLS stadiums as their locations for these traveling events, and the city will serve as a lacrosse hub for the weekend. There will be three games to watch at each stop, as well as other PLL fueled events. Autograph signings, clinics, meet and greets, and pop-up stores should be expected at the majority of locations too. The point is to bring lacrosse to you, so you don’t have to go looking for it. There are also endless possibilities with this model and that means the PLL could even go international in the future.

What should I expect from the PLL?

Truthfully, you should expect the best lacrosse display you’ve ever seen. The league is making all 157 players full-time employees and giving them health benefits with that. They are also starting these players off with equity in the league and higher salaries than MLL players. This is an enticing deal for these players because it is a serious step towards being serious professional athletes, instead of 9-5ers that are professional athletes on the weekends. The equity in the league also gives the players an incentive to help develop the league and set it up for success in the future. Another major advancement made by the PLL was establishing the league without a salary cap. This can help increase the players wages naturally without the need for a possible players’  strike or CBA to raise the wages. All in all, the PLL should be the greatest next chapter in lacrosse. It has the potential to be a massive success; however, even if it fails, it is already forcing the MLL to adapt and compete with it for the better of the players. For this, we thank you Paul Rabil.