S.L. Price: "The American Game"

Nearly a millennium ago, Native Americans created lacrosse as a means of training warriors and settling disputes. Co-opted by whites in the late 1800s, played for a century largely at elite east coast colleges, over the past thirty years lacrosse has exploded around the world, becoming the fastest growing sport in the U.S. while exposing the fault lines of prejudice and privilege that continue to dog its image. At the same time, the spiritual nature and dazzling style of the Native game has been elevated to center stage as the brilliant Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) play as a nation unto themselves, maintaining their deep traditions and hoping for inclusion in the 2028 Olympics.

Based on seven years of research and observation and crafted with consummate skill, The American Game takes readers inside a unique cultural landscape that nonetheless reflects the wider world. Skillfully weaving in compelling action on the field from World Championships to tense NCAA tournaments, Price also chronicles the controversies and anomalies that have in many ways defined lacrosse. Racism stubbornly persists—and the Haudenosaunee have endured plenty in their rise—yet few mainstream entities have done more than lacrosse to champion the Native American experience. The Duke rape case and the murder of Yeardley Love still resonate, reinforcing the sport’s elite “laxbro” image, yet women remain the core force powering its astonishing boom. Lacrosse’s longtime link with Wall Street remains, but its bond with elite military service is just as remarkable.

Price introduces legendary individuals from Jim Brown (some say he was even better at lacrosse than football), Black superstar Kyle Harrison and the brilliant Iroquois stickman Lyle Thompson, to famed coaches Lars Tiffany and Kelly Amonte Hiller and Onondaga faithkeeper Oren Lyons. All of them, and all who play the game, pay homage to the mystical qualities of the lacrosse stick, which American coaching icon Bill Tierney calls “the thing that makes you special.” A masterpiece of narration and investigation, The American Game is the powerful story of a sport that, perhaps more than any other, captures the complexity of America in its ongoing effort to achieve a more perfect union.

S.L. Price will be joined in conversation by former president and CEO of USA Lacrosse Steve Stenersen.

About the Author:

S.L. Price, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for twenty-six years, is the author of four previous books, including Playing through the Whistle, Finalist for the 2017 PEN/ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing, and Pitching around Fidel, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Price has also written for Vanity Fair, New York Times, Time, and Oxford American. He lives in Washington, DC with his family.

About the Moderator:

Steve Stenersen is the Executive Director of Advancement at The St. Paul’s Schools, where he drives fundraising and engagement efforts to support more than 1,400 students and the schools’ $44 million budget. Before transitioning to education, Steve played a transformative role in the national and international growth of lacrosse for 37 years. For more than two decades, he served as President & CEO of USA Lacrosse and led the unification of eight national organizations to establish the sport’s governing body in 1998. Under his leadership, USA Lacrosse expanded membership from 17,500 to 440,000, grew annual revenue from $1.2 million to over $22 million, and invested more than $400 million to fuel the sport’s development. He also spearheaded construction of USA Lacrosse’s $20 million national headquarters, reinforcing the organization’s long-term stability. Steve has held leadership roles on multiple boards, including World Lacrosse, the Association of Chief Executives for Sport, the Baltimore Station, and the Tewaaraton Foundation. His contributions have earned him induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the World Lacrosse Lifetime Achievement Award.

About the Program:

• Doors will open to registered attendees at 6 pm.
• A local bookseller will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm. Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.
• There is no registration required for virtual attendance, simply visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library's Facebook or Youtube page.