What is a Lacrosse Ball made of?
Lacrosse is a full contact team sport. You may have caught a game or two on TV. The purpose of lacrosse is to use the lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the lacrosse ball to try and score. A player scores a point by flinging the ball into an opponent’s goal. On defense, the object is to prevent the other team from scoring by trying to get the ball out of their possession through stick checking and body contact. Lacrosse is a popular sport throughout the world and is most popular in the United States in the Northeast.
Modern Lacrosse Ball
You have wondered while you were watching a lacrosse match, “What is a lacrosse ball made of?” The answer is pretty simple. A lacrosse ball is a solid, hard rubber ball. The International Lacrosse Federation, Major League Lacrosse, and the NCAA all have specific rules that state that lacrosse balls must be made of rubber. In addition these rules require the lacrosse ball to have a circumference of 7.75 to 8 inches. The different organizations have different rules stating what color the ball may be. The International Lacrosse Federation allows the ball to be either orange or white. Major League Lacrosse states the ball must be fluorescent orange, one of the reasons for this color is so that fans can follow the action better. And in the NCAA, lacrosse balls must be orange, white, yellow, or lime green.
Primitive Lacrosse Ball
Now that your question of “What is a lacrosse ball made of” has been answered according to the lacrosse standards of today, you may wonder if the lacrosse ball has always been made of rubber. If you asked “What is a lacrosse ball made of” in the early days of lacrosse, you would have received a different answer.
Lacrosse was invented by Native Americans, making it the oldest team sport in North America. Lacrosse games were often major events that would take place over several days or even weeks. Even though the sport then is similar to the sport played today, there are several differences. One difference is what the lacrosse ball was made of.
The Native Americans often made their lacrosse balls out of hair-stuffed deerskin. They also constructed lacrosse balls out of knotted leather strips. Lacrosse balls continued to be made of this material even when used by European players in the 19th century. The ball was modernized into its rubberized from that is used today in 1836. This was when George Beers codified lacrosse rules.
Apply the Knowledge
Now when anybody asks “What is a lacrosse ball made of,” you will not only be able to tell them what a lacrosse ball is made of today, but also the history of the lacrosse ball.