Point, CounterPoint

We all have our opinions, now more than ever, regarding the Bandits and Rush best-of-three battle for the 2025 National Lacrosse League Championship.

We’ve seen and listened to two incredibly exciting games, with an even split between the teams, and then some!

• Goal-scoring runs – Buffalo recorded one four-goal run, three three-goal runs, and one two-goal run, while Saskatchewan had five two-goal runs and two three-goal runs, including a 2-0 and a 3-0 start to the game.
• Eleven ties with lead changes
• 290 loose balls, 34 blocked shots, and 157 saves

Pretty even when all is hung out to dry, setting the stage for a more than exciting game three, winner take all, this Saturday afternoon inside Key Bank Center at 4:30 pm.

There’s no need to write down quotes from the players and coaches; we’ve all agreed on what needs to happen for a Bandits victory with the 17 players and two goaltenders on the Saturday game-day roster.

This final encounter will require everything the Bandits have: every inch of grit, God-gifted talent, and a spirited force within to combine with a “let’s do this” attitude.

Confidence, Attitude, and Categories

Conviction

The confidence is evident with a 17-6 overall record this season and two consecutive championships. The attitude is one of a humble, take-no-prisoners approach, but keep your wits about you. And conviction with each pass, shot, pick, seal, check, slash, loose ball, and score – do it decisively.

If you need to establish an opinion or gather more facts and feelings, listen to the “Dinner with the Captain” podcast featuring Bandits captain Steve Priolo and host John Dinner.

Broadcast Information

Television coverage of game #3 will be on ESPN2, TSN, espn+, tsn+, and nll+. Coverage will start at 4:30 pm EDT.

Teddy Jenner, Pat Gregoire, and Ashley Docking will be on the call.

Exclusive radio coverage will be on WGR Sports Radio 550 and audacy.com. The pregame show will start at 4:00 pm EDT and feature interviews, analysis, and live on-the-line guests.

Steve Bermel will join me in the Ted Darling Memorial Press Box booth. At the same time, Dave Buchanan will roam remotely on the field level and arena-wide.

Up close with the NLL Commissioner

I had the pleasure of interviewing National Lacrosse League Commissioner Brett Frood on Friday night’s Bandits Halftime Report on WGR Sports Radio.

We covered a broad array of topics, including the extended television contract with ESPN, along with added caveats, updates on the collective bargaining agreement, perceptions from others in the sports world, and what bothers him.

Here are excerpts of the interview, edited for brevity and clarity.

JG: The league extended the television contract with ESPN. Will that include being associated with their new direct-to-consumer platform, which is set to release in the Fall of this year?

BF: All existing ESPN+ members will be immediately converted, and then we will have this other suite of potential ESPN customers. So, we will see a larger audience coming from that silo, and we are excited about that because, for us, it’s about discoverability. The more people who can watch and listen to our great product, the better for our league.

JG: Regarding the league’s television coverage, will the popular NLL+ be available next season for US viewers to watch the game live?

BF: No, it won’t change next year, as that extension gives ESPN streaming exclusivity. We are excited about some of ESPN’s announcements over the past week, as we believe we will see a significant increase in the number of addressable viewers watching our product. NLL+, for now, will be exclusive to the international market.

JG: What is the latest update on the collective bargaining agreement with the NLLPA and Owners?

BF: When game three is over, we certainly transition the urgency in those conversations, whether live on the phone or virtual. The intensity ratchets up because it’s important for the owners and important for the players. And just like any other league, there will be the nuances of that negotiation and its ebbs and flows.

With certainty, the intensity will pick up overall, getting in the trenches and getting a deal done because we certainly have a great product, great players, ambassadors, and teams; we are on a growth curve, so we need to keep the momentum. The goal is to get this done as early as the summer, start preparing for next year, and continue to grow this league.

I meet with the NLLPA every week, so we’re on our 52nd straight week. The trend of those meetings isn’t necessarily the bargaining agreement, but certainly, all work together. I feel like we have a good, respectful relationship and discuss a wide range of topics, working together to grow this league.

From a relationship standpoint, that’s where negotiations start, and if you don’t have that from the beginning, it makes it more challenging. I’m excited to work with Zack Currier and Reid Reinholdt (NLLPA president and VP, respectively), and I hope we can reach a quick conclusion as we begin the summer, allowing us to focus on essential matters.

JG: How is the NLL perceived by those you talk with from other sports?

BF: I love having conversations introducing our product to people who haven’t seen it, especially my peers in other sports. The immediate response is, quite honestly, awe of our product—how fast-paced it is, the physicality, and the parallel to the game-day experience. The energy in this building (Buffalo) is phenomenal, and many people in other sports want to emulate this.

For us, that’s the holy grail: discoverability to ensure more people can see us, both live and on TV (and radio), and experience what we get to do every weekend during the winter.

JG: You’ve been at the desk for a few years now. What bugs you?

BF: I think our product is fantastic. It was fantastic even when I wasn’t the commissioner.

“What bugs me is that not enough people are watching us, and most specifically, what we are struggling with is the endemic lacrosse fan here in the United States.

I’ve lived that life growing up playing and coaching, and my kids are playing. It’s getting their friends and their parents, who are out in the fields all summer long, to really engage with our indoor product.

Everything I can do through Asmosoes, I can touch, feel, and bring. Once they experience it, they become immediate fans.

To me, that’s a challenge—something that bothers me. I feel accountable for it and need to fix it. That, I believe, should be the low-hanging fruit.