Although they may be under the same name, women’s and men’s lacrosse are two entirely different sports, to the extent that some find it hard to even compare the two. Men’s lacrosse is much more physical and has different equipment to compensate while women’s lacrosse instead prohibit contact. The divisions between the two different strains are supported by dated constructs and should move towards homogeneity in safety mandates while keeping their respective distinctions in game play.

In most of the justifications for the ratifications, it is implied that the differences between the two sports is just due to the nature of the game, mostly directly seen in a chart published by the NCAA comparing between men and women’s lacrosse.

Men wear elbow, shoulder, and shin pads, helmets, gloves, mouth guards and protective cups, but all that is required for women to wear is eye goggles and a mouth-guard.

Outside of equipment differences, the male counterpart of the sport allows liberal contact while anybody checks (stick contact with another person’s body) and pushes are major fouls. The three major associations— US Lacrosse, National Federation of State High School Associations, and the NCAA— dictate that women are to be protected from “unnecessary roughness” by enacting rules that limit it, yet the protection around the person is abysmal.

They also use the word “aggressive” when describing the parameters for legal stick checks for men. Women, instead, have a smaller pocket to ensure easier ball dislodgement, and thus a less vigorous check. It is stated that body contact and collision is just “part of the [men’s] game.”

Varsity sophomore Jackson Wise says, “Watching a game of men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse is almost like watching two different sports. The major difference is the amount of contact involved. Men’s lacrosse is less strict about hitting other people to get the ball back while women’s lacrosse has rules against hitting and contact.”

Within the mandates, there seems to be an unwritten rule that women are protected instead by safety guidelines whereas men defend themselves from injury through the equipment they wear. This is ironic as women’s lacrosse is allegedly has the second highest rates of concussions, while men’s trails at number four. To solve this, men’s and women’s lacrosse should instead converge their rules regarding equipment and legal contact while keeping their integrities, which include a longer field and a shallower pocket in women’s’ lacrosse.

Revolution Lacrosse’s Recruiting Manager Meg Reddy says, “The outline and structure of the game has a different feel and skill set. Do they both catch and throw the ball? Yes. Is there a scoreboard? Yes. However the strategy of the game and the way the game is executed are different. The biggest difference is due to the level of contact, however I personally feel that the women’s game is more finesse, more skillful.”

By having similar equipment and rules for fouls, the women’s’ game, for most, would become more enjoyable to watch, as many complain the game is too stop-and-start due to the over-abundance of fouls, thus disrupting the game.

Vassar College women’s lacrosse coach Judy Finerghty says, “I do think that the amount of fouls can negatively impact the flow of the game at times, but it depends on how the teams match up. Some teams tend to foul much more than others, but typically the more skilled teams foul less, because they have been trained on how to execute a legal check, and when not to check at all.”

By becoming homogeneous in safety regulations, women’s lacrosse would not only become more successful monetarily, but also would become more safe for the players.