The sport of lacrosse has existed since before 1700. Lacrosse is a team sport played throughout the world and is the only international sport to recognize First Nations and tribes of Native Americans as sovereign nations. Lacrosse is the oldest game ever played by humans, but the different types of changes made over the years have also led people from all over the world to continue playing this game even today. Lacrosse was traditionally just a tribal game played by natives in their free time, this sport has evolved a lot since then and is played by many children and adults. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay First, before settlers arrived in North America, the game of lacrosse was closely related to indigenous teachings and practices. Native Americans created their own version of lacrosse that was an athletic contest of great skill, pride, and spiritual significance. Originally, lacrosse was believed to be a God-given sport for entertainment purposes, but it was also used to resolve disputes among native people (p. 67). The natives took pride in their pre-game rituals. Some of the things these people did back then are very similar to what athletes do today in sporting events. The natives painted their faces and bodies to get into the spirit of the game. They also painted their sticks and anything else they used during the game. Similar to today, athletes would have a very strict diet on what they could and could not eat before playing. They had someone called the sorcerer. This was someone who performed rituals on the players the night before the game. On match day the players had even more rituals to perform as they entered the pitch, these could last a very long time. Furthermore, pre-match bets had to be placed by each player. This is where they would bet almost everything on who would be the winner of that game. They took it so seriously that they actually used this game as a tool against the English. Native Americans played without padding to protect their bodies. Originally a wooden ball was used to play lacrosse, later the ball was improved by using deerskin and then rubber. The wooden ball caused many dangerous injuries that could not be treated properly, as if I were to go to the hospital or receive treatment, it would be nothing like the treatment we receive today. The fields they played on were five hundred to a mile long, whereas today they are only a hundred yards long, the shorter fields made the game more interesting and did so because the games lasted long periods of time. which in some matches lasted almost six hours. Additionally, they played barefoot, which is much more dangerous than the lacrosse shoes athletes wear today, which provide them with stability and lateral movement. Instead of a team of ten players playing a match that lasted an hour, there originally wasn't actually a set number of players. There were games in which up to a thousand players from many different villages participated over a period of many days. Lacrosse games were huge events in those days. Second, in many ways, the game changed significantly once it emerged from Native American culture. The sport has grown rapidly over the years across the world as advertising allows more and more people to discover the game. Since lacrosse has moved beyond Native American culture, it has mostly seen an increase in participation because it is growing that way.