American Polocrosse fans react angrily to criticism of their sport

American Polocrosse fans have reacted angrily to an article run by the Riverfront Times News Blog that called polocrosse a "ridiculous sport of the idle rich". A number of polocrosse players and fans have posted comments in response to the article which was run by the website after they received news that the American Polocrosse Nationals will be held this weekend in St Louis.

The article was written by Chad Garrison, a man described by one respondent as a "would be journalist" and by another as doing a "terrible diservice to the profession of sports journalism". In the article Chad describes the sport as "bastardized" but the majority of his insult is reserved for the title of his article "Polocrosse: Ridiculous Sport of the Idle Rich Headed to St. Louis". There has been no response from Chad Garrison himself or the Riverfront times in response to the criticism. A google search on Chad reveals a couple of You Tube videos of him giving advice on journalism, American polocrosse fans might question his ability to do that in light of this article.

The article does seem to be written in a tongue in cheek style but it does show brilliantly the image the problem that polocrosse often encounters, mainly due to the use of the word "polo" in the name. Iain Heaton, the UKPA's sport development officer, (who is always willing to comment on anything) said that he now tries to avoid the word "polo" when talking about polocrosse. He said "Obviously it's impossible to avoid it when you say polocrosse, though a friend of mine has started to just say "the 'crosse" but I doubt that will catch on. However, when I am describing the sport to people I simply say it is like lacrosse on horse back and don't say it is a cross between polo and lacrosse. It is a very different game from polo, both in the way it is played and the culture of it. I have nothing against polo, it is a fun sport to play, but we are our own sport and I don't want us to be known as a version of polo or polo's poorer little sibling."

To read the full article and the comments click here.

The American Polocrosse Nationals is taking place from the 2nd to the 4th of October at Blue Heron Farms in Defiance, Missouri. There will be over 100 players there, including UK Captain Guy Robertson and Danny Duhig of the UK. The APA voted in September to amend their rules to allow teams to field an unlimited number of foreign players at their National Championship. This was hotly debate and only just past a vote after amendments were made to the motion so that it would only be in place for a year, to give it a trial run. Full details of the debate are carried in the latest addition of "Off the Racquet", the APA newsletter, click here to read it