Paul Rabil’s Post

Lacrosse is a gift from the Creator meant to be shared. Last week we hosted our Indigenous Heritage weekend from the land of ten thousand lakes. Some highlights… I learned the rules of baaga’adowewin, or traditional stickball from Tom Howes — stick maker on the Fon Du Lac Nation. The skill it takes to get the ball down the field with precision is insane. The goals are posts and points are scored when you hit them. Legendary Onondaga stick maker Alfie Jacques crafted over 80,000 sticks — a brilliant man and an ambassador of the game around world. We commissioned Alfie’s protege, Jack Johnson, of the Akwesasne Nation to make these sticks as a gift for those who help grow the game. You can meet Jack at Premier Lacrosse League games this season. Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter drew the logos for our Indigenous Heritage jerseys — each team has a Medicine Wheel patch, the Anishinabe Thunderbird patch, and an Every Child Matters patch. These were 8 of the coolest jerseys — with meaning and intention — I’ve seen in lacrosse. Former championship game MVP Zed Williams of the Seneca Nation began the game with a traditional stick to honor his ancestors. The Maryland Whipsnakes upset the New York Atlas on the heels of Zed’s performance. Haudenosaunee Nationals team captain, my former teammate and dear friend Jeremy Thompson joined ESPN in the booth to call the games on Friday night. Today’s game is played in over 91 countries — from the US to Nicaragua, to Jamaica and Uganda, New Zealand, Japan and Hong Kong.   Wherever in the world you are, however you play the game, there will always be a connection to its past. I hope you can feel that.   This past weekend reminded us that there’s so much to celebrate and be grateful for.

Had a very special week at Cannes Lions festival with some of the greatest people in sports, business, marketing and the field of creativity. Thank you to my friends at Stagwell for putting us all together — conversations ranged from high performance to retirement. They say an athlete dies twice. But our second mountain might be better then the first.

The Olympics flame is a symbol of continuity between the first and modern games. A passing of the torch inspired by the relay races in Ancient Greece. To be a part of history ahead of the Paris games was emotional for me — and something I’ll never forget. I remember watching Muhammad Ali carry the flame to Atlanta in 1996. The world watched. Next time the Olympics are back in the US, they’ll include lacrosse. It’s been over 100 years since we suited up. What a moment for the sport. A moment that brought me back to the days I dreamed of being an Olympian, watching with my family, cheering on Team USA.

Success is when you give everything you have in the pursuit of your dreams. Well done, Alex — and congrats on your first Premier Lacrosse League goal.

For opening weekend we were honored to host the first woman elected Grand Chief of Mohawk Council of the Kahnawake, Kahsennenhawe Sky-Deer, and her Uncle Joe. Her elders were a part of the first World Lacrosse Championship in 1867 when the Montreal Lacrosse Club challenged the Kahnawake Lacrosse Club — Kahnawake won 3-2.

As an athlete, your jersey brings you a sense of camaraderie, purpose, and swagger. As a fan, it brings you a sense of pride and community. This season is our first to welcome our 8 Lacrosse Clubs home, and in partnership with Champion, we’ve done it once again in style. Shoutout to Vanessa LeFebvre and Larry Gemmell for believing in us — and to every teammate at Champion and the PLL who brought these to life. Let’s get it on.

To every kid I saw in the stands at the National Championship game this past weekend, with a dream of playing on the biggest stage, and the hope of playing this game for the rest of your life — the pros in the Premier Lacrosse League were just like you. See you June 1st on ABC 📺