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The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The NLL when it was first formed in 1987, was originally known as the Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League and after two years, the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. The NLL would take on its current name beginning in 1998.

Early years on regional sports networks (1987–1990)

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In Philadelphia, Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League games were televised by PRISM.[1] Larry Rosen,[2] Tony Seaman, and Mark Zumoff[3] were the commentators for PRISM. Meanwhile in New England, the 1990 Championship Game between the Philadelphia Wings and New England Blazers was broadcast on NESN[4] with Leif Elsmo and Steve Glover on the call.

National coverage

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1990s

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Prime Network (1991–1993)

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For the 1992 Championship Game, the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Philadelphia Wings, 11-10, in an exciting overtime game. This marked the first time since the league’s inaugural season, that an expansion team won the World Championship. The game was broadcast live in Buffalo on Empire Sports Network. For the rest of the nation, the game was broadcast on the Prime Network[5] with Craig Johnson[6] and Leif Elsmo on commentary. Other commentators that Prime employed were Bill Beroza, Bruce Todman,[7] and Jon Horton.[8]

ESPN and ESPN2 (1994–1999)

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On November 30, 1993, ESPN signed a six-year agreement, making them the network of the League. Regular season games would be shown on ESPN2,[9] as well as the playoff broadcasts on both ESPN[10] and ESPN2. This particular package of 12 games would be telecast on a delayed basis.

ESPN2's first Monday night broadcast in 1994 featured the Detroit Turbos against the Baltimore Thunder. Later that year, the Philadelphia Wings denied the Buffalo Bandits a third consecutive World Championship[11] by defeating the Bandits, 26–15, in front of a sellout crowd of 16,284 at Memorial Auditorium. The win gave the Wings its third League Championship in their history, the most of any league team. ESPN broadcast the game live from Buffalo, marking the first live telecast by ESPN of a league game. ESPN employed Leif Elsmo,[12] Kristi Lee, and Quint Kessenich[13] as commentators during this period.

On December 1, 1995, the 1996 television schedule was announced with ESPN2's "Game of the Week" scheduled to be broadcast on Monday nights from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. ET during the season. The 1999 Championship Game between the Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks was televised throughout Canada by CTV SportsNet, and in the United States on ESPN2. CTV SportsNet used Joe Bowen,[14] Brian Shanahan, and Suneel Joshi on commentary.

On January 9, 1998, a television schedule providing game coverage over regional sports networks Comcast SportsNet, Empire Sports Network, and Home Team Sports was announced. Buffalo Bandits lacrosse also received limited coverage on Empire Sports Network.

2000s

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CNN/SI and Rogers SportsNet (2001–2002)

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In the early 2000s, CNN Sports Illustrated[15][16][17][18] aired NLL games regularly. The initial deal called for CNN Sports Illustrated will be the NLL's national broadcast partner for the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons. CNN/SI was scheduled to broadcast 23 games throughout each season, including 17 Game of the Week[19] broadcasts, the NLL All-Star Game[20] and all five playoff games, including the NLL Championship Game in April 2002. CNN/SI aired its first game November 24, 2001. Just like with ESPN's prior coverage, CNN/SI used Leif Elsmo and Quint Kessenich on commentary.

Meanwhile, on September 20, 2001, the NLL announced Rogers Sportsnet (formally CTV SportsNet) to be the league’s national broadcast partner in Canada. Sportsnet would broadcast 26 games during the 2001-2002 regular season. Sportsnet would also carry the 2001-2002 Playoffs, including the Championship Game in April 2002.[21]

Fox Sports Net (2004)

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On December 17, 2003, the league announced a new partnership with Fox Sports Net to broadcast NLL games to over 50 million homes during the 2003-04 season. Fox Sports Net carried nine regular season game broadcasts spread across the schedule to over 50 million homes. Fox Sports Net featured the 2004 All-Star Game[22] on February 22, 2004. Fox Sports Net employed Mitch Hyder, Brian Shanahan, and Bill Hall as commentators.

Five days later, the National Lacrosse League announced a return to the YES Network (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network) for the 2003-04 season. The YES Network would carry eight regular season games with an emphasis on the league's two New York teams, the Buffalo Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks.

NBC, ESPN2, and American One Television (2005–2006)

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The NLL had had its All-Star Games and Championship games on NBC in 2005 and ESPN2 in 2006. The 2005 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game aired live on NBC at 2 p.m. Eastern. The game became the first live broadcast of lacrosse on national U.S. network television. Mike Emrick,[23] Brian Shanahan, and Mark Morgan provided commentary for NBC. The game was also televised in Canada on The Score, and internationally via CNBC International, CNBC Asia, and on Armed Forces Network. The East Division (Buffalo, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Rochester, and Toronto) defeated the West Division (Anaheim, Arizona, Calgary, Colorado, and San Jose) 11–10 in overtime in front of 11,511 fans at Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.

On February 1, 2005, one day after the league announced its historic television agreement with NBC Sports, the NLL announced new broadcast partnerships with the America One Television Network and a host of regional sports networks across the country, including Cox Sports Television and Comcast stations across the country. One month later, the NLL announced an agreement with Bell Express Vu, Canada’s leading direct-to-home satellite television company to broadcast games to out-of-market fans on its pay-per-view channels to regions of Canada that are outside of the regional broadcast territories.

Versus (2007)

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In 2007, the NLL had a regularly scheduled "Game of the Week" on Versus on Saturday nights,[24] the network now known as NBC Sports Network and home of the Indycar Series, NHL, Tour de France, and PBR. For the 2008 season, due to dispute between the Professional Lacrosse Players' Association and the NLL owners in completing the collective bargaining agreement, the "Game of the Week" on Versus was cancelled.[25]

2010s

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Versus and CBS Sports (2011-2012)

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Further information: NLL on CBS

For the 2011 season, the NLL returned to Versus, beginning with coverage of the 2011 All-Star Game, followed by 6 weekly games, and 2 playoff games, one of these being the championship game.[26] Versus would drop the NLL for the league's 2012 season; U.S. broadcast rights were instead picked up by CBS Sports Network.[27]

CBS outbid Fox for the rights to the package of National Lacrosse League games it for the entire 2011 season including playoffs. CBS entered the bidding to regain the National Lacrosse League rights beginning in the 2011, only to again be outbid by Fox, which agreed to pay an undisclosed amount for the three-year broadcast contract.[28]

In 2012, the NLL shifted the package to a new model to increase its prominence. The entire package would be produced by a separate rightsholder, who would hold rights to simulcast a portion of the package on their respective network. CBS was the first rightsholder under this model, airing season games on broadcast television, and producing the remainder of the package to air exclusively on NLL TV to satisfy its carriage agreements.

Beginning with the 2012 NLL season, U.S. broadcast rights shifted to the CBS Sports Network with the segment NLL on CBS, carrying 8 regular season games, all of them live.[29] Regional sports networks would also provide some coverage of individual teams.

The Lacrosse Network, Fox Sports GO, and CBS Sports (2013-2017)

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In 2012, the NLL reached an agreement with The Lacrosse Network, a partnered YouTube channel, to distribute all of the 2013 season's games onto YouTube. All games were available on YouTube after the broadcast and most games were broadcast live.[30]

More than 50 games[31] from the 2016 season was broadcast over Fox Sports GO to viewers both in Canada and the US.[32] Beginning with the 2016 division semifinals, the NLL used a new streaming service at NLLTV.com, powered by NeuLion.[33]

In 2017, CBS Sports president Sean McManus said regarding the prospects of the NLL returning to CBS in the foreseeable future. "It's a great addition to our entire CBS Sports line up which includes golf and college basketball."[34] NLL Commissioner Nick Sakiewicz reiterated the CBS executive's words by adding “We are thrilled to continue to build upon our historic broadcasting partnerships with the addition of CBS Sports.[35] The future of sports is an ever-changing viewing experience, and bringing in a world class organization and platform like CBS Sports Digital is truly exciting for our fans."[36]

Additionally, for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, CBS Sports promoted NLL games across its digital platforms, which exposed a larger audience to the League. CBS already has a long-running deal with the Patriot Lacrosse League but never an expansion into professional lacrosse until this deal.[37]

B/R Live (2018-present)

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On March 27, 2018, the league announced a partnership with B/R Live app, Turner Sports' live streaming service, to stream all live and on-demand games starting with the 2018-2019 season.[38] B/R Live is available to anyone in North America and costs $39.99 for the season, $7.99 for the month and $2.99 per game. The service is available on iTunes and google play, as well on Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV. The NLL announced that the first three games of the season would be free to view on B/R Live.

For the national broadcasting teams assigned to call the 2019 NLL Finals, New England Black Wolves announcer, Brendan Glasheen[39] would provide play-by-play with Toronto Rock color commentator Brian Shanahan as the analyst for the games hosted by the East Division winner. Meanwhile, Colorado Mammoth announcer Teddy Jenner would provide play-by-play along with Vancouver Warriors color commentator Brad Challoner as the analyst for the games hosted by the West Division winner. Finally, Toronto Rock floor reporter Ashley Docking would serve as the sideline reporter for all games during the NLL Finals.

On December 12, 2019, the NLL announced that they would be launching the NLL Game of the Week.[40] They would stream the games for free across its partner B/R Live platforms in the US and on Twitter and Facebook globally. The streams would be available starting on December 14, 2019, with a game between New England and Saskatchewan.

Local coverage

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Team Summary
Buffalo Bandits Buffalo Bandits games can be heard on Buffalo's Entercom stations, either WGR 550 AM or WWKB 1520 AM, with a simulcast on WGWE-FM 105.9, the Seneca nation's radio station in Little Valley. John Gurtler, former play-by-play man for the Buffalo Sabres, handles announcing duties, while former Bandit Randy Mearns handles color commentary. Home games are streamed live on NLL.com.
Saskatchewan Rush Regarding local broadcasts, the Rush reached a deal with CKBL-FM (radio) and SaskTel MaxTV (TV) to broadcast its 2016 Western Conference playoff games.[41] CKBL-FM also broadcast the 2016 National Lacrosse League Finals between the Rush and the Buffalo Bandits with John Fraser calling play-by-play and Casey Guerin as colour commentator. For 2017-2019, The Saskatchewan Rush came to a local radio agreement with Saskatoon Media Group that would see all home, away and playoff games broadcast on CJMK-FM (98COOL-FM) for the 2016–17 and 2017-18 seasons with play by play by Tanner Fetch, and return to CKBL-FM (92.9 The Bull) for 2018-2019 with Dave Thomas as the radio voice of the Rush. Also for the 2018-2019 season, a bi-weekly 30 minute TV program on the Saskatchewan Rush will be broadcast on Saturday mornings by Global Saskatoon and Global Regina, produced and hosted by Daniella Ponticelli.[42][43][44][45][46][47] All Saskatchewan Rush games are telecast through Bleacher Report's B/R Live in both Canada and the United States. For the Rush home games in Saskatoon, Ryan Flaherty is the play-by-play announcer, Former Vancouver Stealth play-by-play announcer Jake Elliott is the colour commentator, and Daniella Ponticelli is in-between team benches as the floor reporter.[48]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lawler, Sylvia (September 14, 1989). "SERVICE ELECTRIC WINS AND SHOWS AT ANNUAL PHILADELPHIA EMMY AWARDS INSIDE TELEVISION". The Morning Call.
  2. ^ 1987 EPBLL Semi-Final Playoff - Washington @ Philadelphia on YouTube
  3. ^ 1989 MILL Championship Game, Philadelphia Wings vs New York Saints on YouTube
  4. ^ 1990 MILL Championship on YouTube
  5. ^ Crossley, Drew (January 2, 2020). "1990-1993 Pittsburgh Bulls". FUN WHILE IT LASTED.
  6. ^ 1992 MILL Championship Game: Buffalo Bandits at Philadelphia Wings on YouTube
  7. ^ 1991 MILL Championship on YouTube
  8. ^ 1993 MILL Championship Game: Buffalo Bandits vs Philadelphia Wings on YouTube
  9. ^ Brown, Doug (January 8, 1994). "MAJOR INDOOR LACROSSE LEAGUE PREVIEW". The Baltimore Sun.
  10. ^ Crawford, Dan (August 20, 2001). "National Lacrosse League strikes TV deal". Columbus Business First.
  11. ^ 1994 MILL Championship Game - Philadelphia Wings at Buffalo Bandits on YouTube
  12. ^ NLL MILL Era 1995 ESPN Regular Season Summary on YouTube
  13. ^ Kessenich, Quint (May 11, 202). "Quint: True To Yourself". Inside Lacrosse.
  14. ^ 1999 NLL Championship game: Rochester Knighthawks at Toronto Rock on YouTube
  15. ^ Fatsis, Stefan (March 9, 2001). "Trainer to the Stars Plans Launch of Lacrosse League". The Wall Street Journal.
  16. ^ "Passion, energy was driving force of former commissioner Jim Jennings". Inside Lacrosse. December 8, 2014.
  17. ^ Umstead, R. Thomas (September 23, 2001). "CNN/SI Shifts Focus From News to Events".
  18. ^ "CNN/SI to televise NLL games". OurSports Central. August 20, 2001.
  19. ^ "NLL ONLY SHAKEN BY TRAGEDY IN NEW YORK". The Buffalo News. September 15, 2001.
  20. ^ NLL 2002 ALL STAR GAME on YouTube
  21. ^ NLL 2002 ALL STAR GAME on YouTube
  22. ^ NLL 2004 ALL STAR GAME on YouTube
  23. ^ NLL 2005 ALL-STAR Game on YouTube
  24. ^ NLL: NY Titans at Chicago Shamrox 1/6/2007 on YouTube
  25. ^ Craig Johnson (11 October 2007). "NLL: Saturday night Game of the Week on VERSUS a no-go". InsideLacrosse.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved 12 October 2007.
  26. ^ "2011 NLL TV Schedule with VERSUS features 2 playoff games, plus VERSUS name change?". ILOnline.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  27. ^ Bailey, Budd (November 14, 2011). "Bandits notebook: New TV package". The Buffalo News. Berkshire Hathaway. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  28. ^ https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/pro/nll/nll-announces-streaming-partnership-with-cbs-sports-digital
  29. ^ Bailey, Budd (November 14, 2011). "Bandits notebook: New TV package". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  30. ^ "NLL to broadcast live on YouTube". Calgary Roughnecks website. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on August 7, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  31. ^ "Fox Sports Go to stream 50-plus NLL games". Inside Lacrosse. December 28, 2015.
  32. ^ "Watch NLL games on Fox Sports GO". NLL website. January 9, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  33. ^ "2016 NLL Division Finals live on NLLTV.com". NLL website. May 16, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  34. ^ http://sportsmediareport.net/2017/12/05/national-lacrosse-league-partners-with-cbs-sports-digital-to-stream-regular-season-playoff-games/
  35. ^ https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/nll-announces-partnership-with-cbs-sports-digital/50891
  36. ^ https://www.uslaxmagazine.com/pro/nll/nll-announces-streaming-partnership-with-cbs-sports-digital
  37. ^ https://www.collegecrosse.com/2017/12/5/16740206/nll-partners-cbs-sports-digital-to-stream-live-on-demand-regular-season-playoff-games-sportslive
  38. ^ "National Lacrosse League Partners with Turner Sports' New Streaming Service "Bleacher Report Live" to Stream Live and On-Demand NLL Games | National Lacrosse League". www.nll.com. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  39. ^ "NLL INTRODUCES TWO NEW BROADCAST INITIATIVES AHEAD OF PLAYOFFS". National Lacrosse League. April 11, 2019.
  40. ^ Hepburn, Tmera (December 12, 2019). "Lacrosse Fans Can Now Watch a 'Game Of The Week' For Free – Here's How". Cord Cutters News.
  41. ^ "In Brief: Saturday's Saskatchewan Rush game on TV; Bowling Silver". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  42. ^ "SaskatoonHomepage.ca - Rush Reports". www.saskatoonhomepage.ca. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  43. ^ "Tanner Fetch ,Professional Sports Broadcaster for the National Lacrosse League, The Saskatchewan Rush, CBS Sports and 98 COOL FM". Linkedlin.
  44. ^ nurun.com. "Waiting game for Casey Guerin". Peterborough Examiner. Retrieved 2016-06-07.
  45. ^ "Saskatchewan Rush Partner With Saskatoon Media Group". nll.com.
  46. ^ "Welcome to the Team, Daniella!". Saskatchewan Rush Lacrosse. 18 October 2018.
  47. ^ "Dave Thomas (@wwsportsdave) | Twitter". twitter.com.
  48. ^ "Sask Rush names play-by-play broadcasters". Clark's Crossing Gazette.
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