• Loading stock data...
Tuesday, September 16, 2025

How The Lacrosse Network Has Become a Go-To Source for Content Surrounding the Sport

Personalities have helped drive the network forward. (Photo via TLN)

Once known as the sport that well-to-do families on the East Coast played, lacrosse has quietly emerged as one of the fastest growing team sports at the high school and collegiate levels.

According to US Lacrosse, over the last five years, the number of schools sponsoring lacrosse at the high school level has risen 27 percent, and the number of NCAA schools sponsoring lacrosse has grown 33 percent.

Hoping to take advantage of the increased attention and participation, The Lacrosse Network is doubling down on creating content for both Instagram and YouTube that brings to life the sport’s biggest moments and the personalities who are helping elevate the game with their social media presence.

To do this effectively, the channel, led by Tyler Steinhardt, has turned to its community for feedback and has adjusted the content accordingly.

“Our audience is very vocal in what they like, and because it’s such a niche sport it allows us to respond directly to their feedback and ideas,” Steinhardt said.

What they found was an insatiable appetite for content that pulled back the curtain on today’s stars and made them more relatable to consumers.

“We have also gone long on content profiling the sport’s best stars, sharing their playing tips, origin stories, and off-field pursuits,” Steinhardt said when taking a look back at what the community had shared with them. “The younger fan is more interested in the players than the scores of the games, so we’re focused on bringing them to life through our content.”

[the_ad_group id=”948″]

When it comes to growth, especially on Instagram, Steinhardt and his team rely on a two-pronged approach of creating content that either focuses on utility or social currency.

“Since tagging friends and direct messaging posts is the easiest way to reach a new audience, our strategy is to develop content that people will want to share. We think that people share for two reasons — utility (learning from a play) or social currency (making a friend laugh) — so we produce content that taps into those triggers.”

On YouTube, the network has turned its attention to premium shows that are supported by weekly content.

“On YouTube, we release premium shows that run for usually a month, such as “DRIVE” and “Through X” as well as weekly programming such as the “TLN Top 5” and “Weekly Watch,”” Steinhardt said. “The weekly content builds the habit of watching TLN, which we then use to build upon to reach a new audience when we launch premium programming.”

Steinhardt credits the growth of the network to the one-on-one connections he and the team have with many of its ardent fans, something that other larger sports might not be able to take advantage of. But, as properties like FloSports have shown, owning an audience of what many mainstream consumers would consider a niche sport can be rather lucrative.

“The advantage of being a niche sport is having a stronger understanding of your audience,” Steinhardt said. “We get to meet our fans every year at events like the Final Four, and we can get direct feedback on their favorite content. This not only fuels our engagement across social platforms, but also extends that relationship off the screen as our audience wears our merch and shares TLN with their friends.”

Want more content like this? Subscribe to our daily newsletter!

The network’s most recent successful content play focused on the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Final Four and its partnership with ESPN to deliver a segment around the theme of #ThankYouLacrosse. The goal? To reach non-lacrosse fans and help them realize the impact the sport can have outside of teams lifting trophies above their heads.

“After the segment ran, we saw hundreds of posts and over two million cross-platform impressions,” Steinhardt said when speaking on the success of the campaign.

In today’s digital world, there is not only power in the quality of content created, but the quality of people the content reaches. Luckily, for The Lacrosse Network, it has the best of both worlds.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Premier Lacrosse League

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.
[Subscription Customers Only] Jul 9, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Real Madrid CF forward Kylian Mbappe (9) reacts after a semifinal match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium.

CVC Builds Out Sports Division Amid Crowded PE Market

The firm’s sports portfolio is reportedly worth $13.6 billion.

Featured Today

ESPN’s ‘MNF’ Ratings Up 8% As NFL Surges to Strong Start

ESPN posts its second-best Week 1 “Monday Night Football” audience.
Sep 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills fans react during the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium.
September 9, 2025

As Bills Ascend, Their Next Frontier Lies in Canada

Buffalo and the powerful Canadian entity MLSE come together in a new pact.
opinion
September 9, 2025

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from NFL’s Week 1 Broadcasts

Many viewers decried the addition of ads to “NFL RedZone.”
Aug 23, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) leads the team onto the field for warm ups before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
September 7, 2025

Slow Burn: The NFL’s Private-Equity Era So Far

Three deals have been struck to date. But the league is bullish.
FIFA

Saudis Awarded 2034 World Cup in Uncontested Vote

Saudi Arabia was the only option after Australia decided not to bid.
May 20, 2024

Top Sports Business Jobs This Week (May 2024)

Each week, our staff combs through the thousands of job listings from…
The stands at the Solheim Cup
September 13, 2024

LPGA Apologizes for Solheim Cup Fan Bus Debacle That Left Stands Half-Empty

The USA-Europe women’s team golf event teed off Friday morning.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
October 3, 2022

Real Madrid President Renews Call for Super League

Real Madrid’s president believes that soccer is losing ground.
August 10, 2022

PGA Tour Touts Projected Earnings to Keep Players

The PGA Tour is asking its players to consider their potential futures.
August 10, 2022

Bayern Munich to Make Growth Push in U.S. Market

Bayern Munich is looking to expand its reach in the U.S.
Nintendo-logo
August 3, 2022

Nintendo Profits Underwhelm, Switch Sales Decline

Nintendo failed to meet expectations in the company’s latest earnings report.