The American game History and hope in the country of lacrosse

Sports journalist Price (Playing Through the Whistle) presents a rich cultural history of lacrosse, beginning with the sport's invention as early as 1100 CE by Haudenosaunee peoples who used it to train warriors and resolve conflicts. In the 1860s, Canadian dentist George Beers "appropriated" the game for white colonists, formalizing a set of rules that prohibited some common components of Indigenous gameplay, such as throwing the ball by hand. Charting how lacrosse came to be associated with collegiate white men, Price explains that an 1876 lacrosse exhibition that Beers arranged for Queen Victoria bestowed a respectability on the game that appealed to the Ivy League set. Lamenting how "laxbros" have sullied the sport's reputation, Price provides a detailed account of the media storm surrounding University of Virginia midfielder George Huguely's murder of his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love, in 2010, but he contends that the surging popularity of women's lacrosse is changing the face of the game. Price excels at untangling how colonialism, class, and gender have shaped lacrosse's history, and he offers a poignant account of how the Haudenosaunee Nationals' ongoing campaign to play in the 2028 Olympic Games under their own flag is bringing renewed attention to the game's Indigenous roots. This one's a winner. Agent: Andrew Blauner, Blauner Books. (May)

Heritage and privilege on the playing field. Native Americans invented lacrosse centuries ago, but in recent years, the game has been plagued by serious problems. Price, a formerSports Illustrated staffer, meticulously explains the sport's decidedly uneven reputation. Over a 17-year period ending in 2018, the number of people who play lacrosse increased by more than 200%. Simultaneously, the game's image crashed. After a Duke lacrosse party in 2006, three players were falsely accused of rape; though the media response included many inaccuracies, it surfaced incidents of racist behavior by some team members. In 2010, a University of Virginia men's lacrosse player murdered a UVA women's player. Meanwhile, numerous players of color have recounted racial harassment from white opponents--thus the perception that lacrosse grooms bigoted bros. On a parallel track, Price explores the game's history. To generations of Haudenosaunee--a traditional name the Iroquois reclaimed in 2021--lacrosse has been a "Medicine Game" that helps participants "deal with personal strife," Price notes. Remarkably, in 1880, amid allegations of corruption, Canada "barred the Iroquois from their own game." Price also charts the varying fortunes of lacrosse at America's historically Black universities, part of a broader effort to make the game more inclusive. A Haudenosaunee team's ongoing efforts to navigate the bureaucracy around international tournaments, including the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, is a powerful reminder of the sport's lineage. If the Haudenosaunee's pending Olympic bid is successful, the troubled sport would have a big chance to improve its public standing. Price is a diligent reporter but not always a concise writer, making this book longer than necessary. There's no need, for example, to explain to readers that Nike is a "sports apparel giant famed for its edgy marketing." A thorough look at a sport's storied past, troubled present, and perhaps promising future. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.