This 60-minute talk will examine how lacro sse mirrors America's ongoing struggle with inclusivity\, privilege\, and cultural identity and will include a book signing. Learn more about the bo ok and the author below.
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S.L. Price unveils
the fascinating story behind "The American Game\," revealing how lacrosse
&mdash\;created by the Haudenosaunee nearly a millennium ago&mdash\;reflec
ts America's complex social landscape. From elite colleges to Indigenous c
ommunities\, discover how this dynamic sport captures the essence of Ameri
ca's past and present while pointing toward a hopeful future of inclusion
and recognition.
Nearly a millennium ago\, Native Am
ericans created lacrosse as a means of training warriors and settling disp
utes. Co-opted by whites in the late 1800s\, played for a century largely
at elite east coast colleges\, over the past thirty years lacrosse has exp
loded around the world\, becoming the fastest growing sport in the U.S. wh
ile exposing the fault lines of prejudice and privilege that continue to d
og its image. At the same time\, the spiritual nature and dazzling style o
f the Native game has been elevated to center stage as the brilliant Haude
nosaunee (Iroquois) play as a nation unto themselves\, maintaining their d
eep traditions and hoping for inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.
Base d on seven years of research and observation and crafted with consummate s kill\, \;The American Game \;takes readers inside a unique cultura l landscape that nonetheless reflects the wider world. Skillfully weaving in compelling action on the field from World Championships to tense NCAA t ournaments\, Price also chronicles the controversies and anomalies that ha ve in many ways defined lacrosse. Racism stubbornly persists&mdash\;and th e Haudenosaunee have endured plenty in their rise&mdash\;yet few mainstrea m entities have done more than lacrosse to champion the Native American ex perience. The Duke rape case and the murder of Yeardley Love still resonat e\, reinforcing the sport&rsquo\;s elite &ldquo\;laxbro&rdquo\; image\, ye t women remain the core force powering its astonishing boom. Lacrosse&rsqu o\;s longtime link with Wall Street remains\, but its bond with elite mili tary service is just as remarkable.
\nPrice introduces legendary ind ividuals from Jim Brown (some say he was even better at lacrosse than foot ball)\, Black superstar Kyle Harrison and the brilliant Iroquois stickman Lyle Thompson\, to famed coaches Lars Tiffany and Kelly Amonte Hiller and Onondaga faithkeeper Oren Lyons. All of them\, and all who play the game\, pay homage to the mystical qualities of the lacrosse stick\, which Americ an coaching icon Bill Tierney calls &ldquo\;the thing that makes you speci al.&rdquo\; A masterpiece of narration and investigation\, \;The Ameri can Game \;is the powerful story of a sport that\, perhaps more than a ny other\, captures the complexity of America in its ongoing effort to ach ieve a more perfect union.
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S.L. Price\,
\;a senior writer at \;Sports Illustrated \;for twen
ty-six years\, is the author of four previous books\, including \;
Playing through the Whistle\, Finalist for the 2017 PEN/ESPN
Award for Literary Sports Writing\, and \;Pitching around Fidel\, a finalist for the \;Los Angeles Times \;Book Prize. Price h
as also written for \;Vanity Fair\, \;New York Times<
/em>\, \;Time\, and \;Oxford American. \; He
lives in Washington\, DC with his family.