Congratulations to the Buffalo Bandits!

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

I recall former Sabres player Rick Dudley also playing box lacrosse in a professional league back in the 1970s.  

[Mango]

2 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

 

Pre-2000, maybe on par with the Bisons winning.   AAA Baseball has turned into controlled scrimmages though over the years and has completely tossed aside any semblance of competitive sport.  Normally in the playoffs, half of the team is gone or more.  

 

I see what you are saying with the accomplishments sitting equal of the Sabres.  Its not equal, I dont think anyone makes that mistake.  I would say, John Tavares could be considered on a short list of a Buffalo sports greats.  We will also never see any NBA or NCAA banners up there unfortunately, and frankly, the Sabres have cheapened the honor with some hasty/questionable/laughable jersey retirements.  Doesnt Toronto have a Bon Jovi banner?  I know Philadelphia has a Pearl Jam banner.

 

But the Championships are something.  There are a lot of rabid fans in Denver who are really disappointed.  Fans in Rochester talking trash that the Bandits finally caught up to the Nighthawks in Championships.  It is a league with a >35 year history now.  The Bandits are the keystone franchise.  Its a cool and unique atmosphere that we should embrace.

 

Who are you talking about? I assume Tim Horton, maybe Danny Gare? I don't think either constitute ruining the entire tradition of jersey retirements. 

 

[May Day 10]

1 hour ago, Mango said:

 

Who are you talking about? I assume Tim Horton, maybe Danny Gare? I don't think either constitute ruining the entire tradition of jersey retirements. 

 

 

In general, jersey retirements are the best of the best Icons for the franchise, and usually should coincide with championship(s).  It really should only be Perreault and Hasek.  Miller and Horton are probably the most egregious, but Gare and LaFontaine are terrible as well (and LaFontaine is my all time fave).  I get the significance of the French Connection, but Robert especially, and Martin shouldnt be retired numbers.  Ryan Miller is a Sabres Hall of famer.  Had 1 really stellar season and 2 good playoff runs.  I believe he was a cezina finalist only 1 time.  Compiled a lot of wins due to the abolishment of ties that coincided with the beginning of his career and longevity.

 

Its a franchise that has won a total of 6 division titles in its history and have 8 retired numbers.  Many good numbers are taken out of circulation.  The bar has been lowered so much, what if we experience a truly great era like Tampa currently enjoys?  Players are going to have to work letters or symbols into their jersey numbers.

Edited June 5, 2023 by May Day 10

[BananaB]

13 minutes ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

You are correct.  The best PLL players don’t make more than 40-50K per season.  Some of the best, however, make well north of a million per year when you include their endorsement deals, summer camp tours, and merchandising/apparel lines.  Paul Rabil had a million dollar endorsement deal with Adidas well before he even left the MLL to create the PLL with his brother.  Lyle Thompson has a very substantial endorsement deal with Nike, and he (along with his brothers/cousins) owns a very lucrative apparel company.  These are just a couple examples.
 

Judging a sport based on how much money the athletes earn is kind of foolish though.  Don’t you think?  There are a lot of sports I love where the athletes don’t make a lot of money and play mostly for the love of the sport.

Those guys you named are the exception and there is very few of them.  Paul Rabil might be the most endorsed player of all time and his net worth right now is 5 mil. He finished college how long ago? Retired a couple years ago but is still heavily  involved in the PLL, how is that well North of a million a year? 
 

And I’m not judging the game on how much money these guys make. I love the sport, best thing I ever did was start playing again after my brother passed away. Helped me get through some tough times. Just don’t think many people realize how these guys live. 

[PromoTheRobot]

6 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

But it kind of is because infinitely more people are competing in baseball than indoor lacrosse. The amount of people that you need to be “better than” to make it to that level is nowhere near what it is in the 4 majors. It’s harder to be Jeff Manto than to be Dhane Smith. 

 

Ehhhhhh, I don't think that's true any more. Do you know how many high schools across the country have lacrosse teams? How many youth teams there are? I dare say it's at par with soccer for participation. And lacrosse is as huge as hockey in Canada.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 hour ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

I recall former Sabres player Rick Dudley also playing box lacrosse in a professional league back in the 1970s.  

 

When Brandon Montour was a Sabre, he used to hang out at Bandits practices just to play some.

58 minutes ago, BananaB said:

Those guys you named are the exception and there is very few of them.  Paul Rabil might be the most endorsed player of all time and his net worth right now is 5 mil. He finished college how long ago? Retired a couple years ago but is still heavily  involved in the PLL, how is that well North of a million a year? 
 

And I’m not judging the game on how much money these guys make. I love the sport, best thing I ever did was start playing again after my brother passed away. Helped me get through some tough times. Just don’t think many people realize how these guys live. 

 

What keeps lacrosse from paying big bucks is the lack of a big $$ TV deal. NLL is on an ESPN channel occasionally, but mostly on ESPN+. They do have a deal with TSN in Canada.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

35 minutes ago, BananaB said:

Those guys you named are the exception and there is very few of them.  Paul Rabil might be the most endorsed player of all time and his net worth right now is 5 mil. He finished college how long ago? Retired a couple years ago but is still heavily  involved in the PLL, how is that well North of a million a year? 
 

And I’m not judging the game on how much money these guys make. I love the sport, best thing I ever did was start playing again after my brother passed away. Helped me get through some tough times. Just don’t think many people realize how these guys live. 

You must have missed the first sentence of my reply to your post where I wrote “You are correct.”

 

Albeit the rare exception, there are some players such as Rabil and Thompson who either were or are making north of 1 million/year.  As I said, Paul Rabil’s Adidas deal alone used to be 1 million/year before he and Mike created the PLL.  My understanding is that Lyle Thompson’s deal with Nike is comparable.

 

The reality is that 98% of these guys have to find other sources of employment.  I have a personal friend who plays for the Albany Firewolves of the NLL, but still works a full-time job as an accountant in Denver in the offseason.  Some guys supplement their incomes by doing the camp circuit which can pay quite well for the bigger name players.

 

That said, things have become much better for the players since the creation of the PLL and increasing popularity of the NLL.  Pay is not great but substantially better, health insurance, profit sharing, etc…

 

It’s got a long way to go, but certainly has come a long way since the MLL days with players getting dressed in tents next to the field.

[Kirby Jackson]

On 6/5/2023 at 1:01 PM, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Ehhhhhh, I don't think that's true any more. Do you know how many high schools across the country have lacrosse teams? How many youth teams there are? I dare say it's at par with soccer for participation. And lacrosse is as huge as hockey in Canada.

There are stats out there. The participation isn’t even in the same stratosphere as baseball. Baseball is second to only basketball in youth participation in the US (let alone around the world). There are millions and millions more people participating in baseball than lacrosse (which is still a very regional game). 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

On 6/4/2023 at 12:45 PM, Taro Nimbus said:

If you wanna trash a sport, at least try to know what you're talking about.  Some of the most gifted athletes on the world play Lacrosse, and alot of them push near a million in salary

A lot? Challenge flag

[Doc]

16 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

There are stats out there. The participation isn’t even in the same stratosphere as baseball. Baseball is second to only basketball in youth participation in the US (let alone around the world). There are millions and millions more people participating in baseball than lacrosse (which is still a very regional game). 

 

What's amazing is how many kids play youth soccer but the US still struggles to produce many top players.

[May Day 10]

My kid (10) just started to play lacrosse.  He loves it.  As a parent I really like it.  There is a grassroots feel to it and we havent yet experienced the evil and devious nature of all the adults who thinks their kid is going to hit MLB or the NHL.  It is a lot of good exercise.  Teamwork is imperative.  A good amount of physicality. Lots of skills transferrable to other activities.