Russ Cline's guest appearances

Russ Cline

Good Seats Still Available

Mike Carey

Bob Ross

Michael Lewis

Randy Hahn

Dave Coleman

Rob Brown

John Oreovicz

Bob Moore

Jim O'Brien

Matt Stone

Scott Morrison

Matthew Algeo

Rick Davis

Sean McIndoe

Paul Goldberger

OwlTail

Our first-ever (and long-overdue) exploration of the sport of professional lacrosse begins with a conversation with one of the godfathers of the modern indoor game, Russ Cline – founder (along with partner and fellow Kansas City sports promoter Chris Fritz) of 1987’s seminal four-team Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (soon renamed the Major Indoor Lacrosse League) – and the progenitor of today’s vibrant National Lacrosse League that spans 11 cities across the US and Canada. Cline walks obsessive inquisitor Tim Hanlon through: the duo’s rationale behind choosing lacrosse as the focus of their entrepreneurial efforts; the slow-growth approaches to expansion beyond the lacrosse-rich Northeast and national television coverage; the business model battle between single-entity and individually-owned franchises; and the delicate balance between maintaining the integrity of the sport’s  rich history and marketing a hard-hitting, high-scoring, action-packed entertainment product. Plus: playing surfaces borne of carpet remnants and Coca-Cola; robbing Philadelphia to pay Baltimore; becoming ESPN2’s first-ever scheduled pro league; and turning down a very tempting birthday gift! Audible, Podfly, and SportsHistoryCollectibles.com are our wonderful sponsors this week – check them out!

Our first-ever (and long-overdue) exploration of the sport of professional lacrosse begins with a conversation with one of the godfathers of the modern indoor game, Russ Cline – founder (along with partner and fellow Kansas City sports promoter Chris Fritz) of 1987’s seminal four-team Eagle Pro Box Lacrosse League (soon renamed the Major Indoor Lacrosse League) – and the progenitor of today’s vibrant National Lacrosse League that spans 11 cities across the US and Canada. Cline walks obsessive inquisitor Tim Hanlon through: the duo’s rationale behind choosing lacrosse as the focus of their entrepreneurial efforts; the slow-growth approaches to expansion beyond the lacrosse-rich Northeast and national television coverage; the business model battle between single-entity and individually-owned franchises; and the delicate balance between maintaining the integrity of the sport’s  rich history and marketing a hard-hitting, high-scoring, action-packed entertainment product. Plus: playing surfaces borne of carpet remnants and Coca-Cola; robbing Philadelphia to pay Baltimore; becoming ESPN2’s first-ever scheduled pro league; and turning down a very tempting birthday gift! <a href="http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Audible</a>, <a href="http://www.podfly.net/#about" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Podfly</a>, and <a href="http://bit.ly/Sportshistory" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">SportsHistoryCollectibles.com</a> are our wonderful sponsors this week – check them out!

055: Russ Cline and the Birth of Modern-Day Indoor Box Lacrosse