I went to a Minnesota Swarm game this past weekend and was very surprised and quite annoyed with the fan atmosphere.
The Minnesota Swarm is a men’s box lacrosse that plays in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). Box lacrosse is played with two teams, each having six players on the field. It is generally played on an ice hockey rink, after the ice has been removed or covered with turf. The Minnesota Swarm plays at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
I was looking forward to the game, because I play lacrosse and will watch any form of lacrosse I can find. However, after getting to the game, I quickly realized that the atmosphere created for the games was not created with the die-hard lacrosse fan in mind. Throughout the entire game, including during play, music was blaring. I don’t mind music during breaks in the game, like hockey does, but when it is playing loudly while the game is going on it’s just downright distracting. I don’t know how the players can do it, but I had a hard time just focusing on the game with the music playing at all times.
In addition to the music, I also found the announcer quite annoying. It seemed to me that the only thing he could do was lead the crowd in chants and announce penalties and goals. He did not appear to have too much knowledge on lacrosse, or at least he did not show it. I would have been fine with the announcer, but my opinion of him went downhill fast after a fight broke out on the field. The announcer started to announce the fight as if we were at a boxing match, not a lacrosse game. He was announcing the “heavyweight champion from Minnesota” and getting the crowed pumped up and excited about this fight, despite the fact that fighting is illegal and gets a 5-minute penalty. I am not a fan of fighting in sports, but I think its fine if the crowd gets themselves excited for a fight. However, when the announcer gets the crowd going, it just seems wrong.
I understand that the Minnesota Swarm’s fan numbers have not been very high since their earlier seasons, but I do not think that the “improvements” to the fan experience they have made are worth it. I think that the excessive music and announcer-led chants degrade the game of box lacrosse. Instead of enticing more fans with loud music and party atmosphere, the Swarm should try promoting the actual sport more. Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America, but take a quick look at the attendance of professional lacrosse games and you would not know it.
Despite the distracting atmosphere of the game, I did still enjoy the parts of the game I could watch peacefully and was impressed with the improved skill level of the players. The game of box lacrosse is an interesting and fast-fast paced game, but the Minnesota Swarm need to find a new to promote their team, without making the sport look like a circus.
