The Professional Box Lacrosse Association (PBLA) was a men's professional box lacrosse league in the United States. The league was announced on June 29, 2022,[2] with the first seven (of nine) team locations announced on July 19.[3] The league intended to focus on growing the sport in the United States, drawing players, coaches, and other personnel primarily from there.[2][4]
 | |
| Sport | Lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
| CEO | Brad Bryant[1] |
| COO | Brian Mankameyer |
| Commissioner | Steve Donner |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Countries |  United States |
| TV partner(s) | lacrosse tv (only game of the week) |
| Official website | https://pbla.com/ |
Full league operations were suspended just weeks into their first season. [5]
Teams
editThe league started out with a single-ownership structure, with all teams being league-operated. Nine teams were planned for the inaugural season. Names for each team were nominated and voted on by fans from the host cities.[6]
| Team | City | Arena | Capacity | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binghamton Bombers | Binghamton, New York | Visions Veterans Memorial Arena | 4,710 | 2022 |
| Charlotte Bootleggers | Charlotte, North Carolina | Bojangles Coliseum | 8,600 | 2022 |
| Elmira Renegades | Elmira, New York | First Arena | 3,784 | 2022 |
| Hampton Hammerheads | Hampton, Virginia | Hampton Coliseum | 10,147 | 2022 |
| Jim Thorpe All-Americans | Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania | PPL Center (Allentown) | 2022 | |
| New England Chowderheads | Portland, Maine; Lowell, Massachusetts |
Cross Insurance Arena; Tsongas Center |
6,206 6,003 |
2022 |
| Salem Mayhem | Salem, Virginia | Salem Civic Center | 6,820 | 2022 |
| Syracuse Spark | Syracuse, New York | Upstate Medical University Arena | 5,800 | 2022 |
| Trenton Terror | Trenton, New Jersey | CURE Insurance Arena | 7,605 | 2022 |
All teams whose names had been announced were decided by a name-the-team contest. The winners were announced on August, 14th, 2022. The Syracuse Spark were originally going to be called the "Sparkle Muffins" however due to the mouthful that this name would be it was shortened to Spark, the logo and mascot were still a spider.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Professional Box Lacrosse Association postpones remainder of inaugural season".
- ^ a b Raymon, Katie (June 29, 2022). "PBLA Announces New Professional Box Lacrosse League • PBLA".
- ^ "New League, PBLA, Announces Seven Cities Where It Intends to Play Starting This December | Inside Lacrosse".
- ^ Walls, Dave (January 15, 2023). "Salem Mayhem growing game of indoor lacrosse in Virginia". WSET. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
- ^ "Sources: PBLA lacrosse season put on hold". January 31, 2023.
- ^ "New pro lacrosse league to include teams in Elmira and Binghamton. What you need to know". Star-Gazette.
- ^ "PBLA Announces Jim Thorpe, PA as 9th Team". October 22, 2022.
External links
edit
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