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We Need To Stop Encouraging Boston Already

Consider it very good timing that the Men's Lacrosse championship is in Boston this weekend. Like it or not (and I'm sure the answer is more likely "not"), Boston is the defacto City of Champions in the US right now. It may be a curious choice for lacrosse considering how successful the championship has been in Baltimore in recent years, it's not all that crazy.

In college lacrosse terms, having the championship in Boston is akin to having the Super Bowl in a city like Indianapolis. They're familiar with all that's involved but its questionable if the local community can support such an event. (Okay,
bad example...)

Whereas Baltimore is smack dab in the middle of multiple lacrosse hotbeds and powerhouse schools, the closest quality team to Foxboro is probably...I don't know...Brown?
And don't Boston sports fans have enough on their plate?

At the end of the day though, lacrosse fans are fiercely loyal. And the lax Gods have blessed this year's Final Four with a holy quadrinity (is that right?) of four powerhouse programs that all have huge fan and alumni bases happy to travel and spend money.
Plus, Boston didn't do too shabby the last time around either.
Coaches see the return to New England as a natural progression in the growth of the sport. While Johns Hopkins and Syracuse played 23 years ago before 14,455 fans in Providence, each of the crowds for Saturday’s semifinals and Monday’s championship game could triple that figure.
It's all part of the push/pull struggle NCAA lacrosse finds itself in at the moment. It needs to expand and grow to other parts of the country but it can't extend the reach so far that it alienates it's strong Northeastern base. It needs teams like Denver and Ohio State to take the next step in the tournament but it can't afford a Final Four without participating of the "Big Five." It needs to bring itself into the 21st century but needs to respect the traditions that got it this far.

Boston is the perfect location to answer all of those issues. It's a baby step just outside the sport's comfort zone. The only kind of step it can take at the moment. But who knows...while they say the new stadium in East Rutherford, NJ is next on the list for a Final Four, perhaps we'll see the event keep expanding...slowly but surely. Will we ever see a lacrosse Final Four in Chicago? Denver? Los Angeles? Perhaps...but not anytime soon. and that seems to be fine for most everyone involved.