It didn’t really seem like a big deal when I was growing up.

When did this whole lacrosse thing start?

I played baseball, soccer and basketball. My friends all played baseball, soccer and basketball.
Truth be told, I hadn’t ever seen a lacrosse game until I got to middle school and started going to a couple of my school’s games. I never actually took notice, however, until some of my long-time baseball friends started laying down their bats and picking up lacrosse sticks.

Admittedly, it was bizarre. Here was a sport that I knew relatively little about, but had become one of the biggest sports in my high school. I arrived at DU and realized that the atmosphere was the same, but on a completely new level.

All of a sudden it was the new sport to watch.

Signing on to spend four years at one of the best lacrosse schools in the nation was definitely a reason to start paying attention, as Denver is currently ranked third in the nation according to the USILA Coaches Poll, as well as the Inside Lacrosse Poll.

In fact, it was difficult not to pay attention for anyone who was on campus this weekend, as the Pioneers took on Marquette in front of a sold out for their final regular season game.

The game, which the Pios ended up winning, also emphasized the massive fan support from the DU community. The sold-out stadium and the pre-game tailgate show that lacrosse is something that students embrace.

This new trend is not by any means a Denver phenomenon. Lacrosse has been one of the fastest growing sports in the nation for the past several years, and it is a pattern that doesn’t seem to be slowing down.

An increased number of youth players has led to massive uptakes of the sport in high schools and universities alike.

The 2013 U.S. Lacrosse Annual Participation Survey said that “a record total of 746,859 players competed on organized lacrosse teams in 2013. The growth rate from last year (722,205) was 3.4 percent and youth participation topped 400,000 for the first time ever.”

On top of these numbers, NCAA universities added 60 new lacrosse programs in 2013, eight of which were new Division I programs. Clearly with massive growth and a mushrooming of fan support, lacrosse is a sport that should continue to see success in the future, and perhaps a rise in support for professional lacrosse as well.