Sociogenesis of Lacrosse

While I never participated in an organized or competitive lacrosse team, I always have had a passion for watching and playing with my family or friends. Lacrosse always interested me, I was never really familiar with the background behind the sport or the rules. Through research I have found answers to a few questions that I had regarding the sport. 

Lacrosse was a sport that was predominantly popular with Native Americans. Much like Coakley talked about sporting events in Ancient Rome and Greece, lacrosse was played at traditional Native American games. These games were major events and would last for a few days. Lacrosse had both religious and recreational purposes. More importantly it was used in order to prepare young native americans for war. While there is no specific date of when Lacrosse began, the first non Native American's began playing it in the mid-ninteenth century. 

After colonization began in America, we learn that Lacrosse as a sport also spread. It was predominantly played near the Great Lakes and would find its way to at a time being the national sport of Canada. 

The name and rules of lacrosse were not given until the early french settlers came to North America. It was at that time where the sport changed from being an event at a traditional Native American festival to a sport that would soon spread. As the sport progressed and became more organized, the equipment changed. They would rid of the traditional wooden balls and now more modernly use plastic balls.

Presently, while Lacrosse's is becoming more and more predominant at the youth, high school, collegiate, and professional level, it is important to understand where the sport began and how it has changed. It makes me think, that if traditional Native Americans used lacrosse as a tool in order to prepare for battle or religious purposes, what purpose does it serve in the United States? Is it now just a means for entertainment. If so, does that carry any implications or show any disrespect to any native americans that are still present in North America?

References:
Coakley
http://filacrosse.com/origin/
http://www.uslacrosse.org/about-the-sport/history.aspx