Lacrosse returns to the Olympics in 2028, on American soil. Why won’t the I.O.C. let Indigenous North American teams compete?
Zach Miller, a midfielder and attackman for the Haudenosaunee Nationals, during a lacrosse game between the Nationals and Team USA in June 2023 in San Diego.Credit...Ahmed Gaber for The New York Times
- May 13, 2025
Most lacrosse players tell the same story of falling in love with the game: It started with the stick. From the game’s traditional strongholds in Canada and the American Northeast and mid-Atlantic to 21st-century hotbeds like Colorado, Florida, Israel and Japan, male and female players alike recount that moment they first picked one up — whether titanium or wood, whether a standard 40-inch stick or a defenseman’s six-foot pole — and felt its potential for trickery, firepower, a bit of swagger.