Does the PLL need a bye week?

The PLL has a scheduling problem that has not been resolved since the league officially began. There is no reason the league needs to implement a bye week after just three weeks of regular season play. For years I’ve struggled to fully understand the decision to put a bye week in this time slot when the season has only just begun. It takes away from all the buzz the league has generated in its opening weeks, taking fans away from the league on a random weekend in June.

It’s important to understand the typical reason for a bye week: to rest players’ bodies during longer regular seasons. When you look at the other major American sports leagues, the PLL’s bye week makes even less sense.

NFL (18-week season): 1 bye week
NBA (82-game season): No bye weeks, occasionally longer rest periods
MLB (6-month season): No bye weeks, the occasional day off
MLS (8-month season): No formal bye weeks, possibly longer breaks
NHL (82 game season): 1 bye week

The PLL has one bye week for a ten-week regular season, which stands out as an anomaly compared to the other leagues. PLL athletes typically work full-time, meaning their five-day work week consists of little training or physical activity. Please note that athletes participating in these other competitions are fully employed by the competitions they play for and participate in weekly activities and training. I understand that these athletes are putting in their best effort on the weekend for these PLL matches, but when you look at the other sports leagues and the structure of the athletes’ work week, a bye week really doesn’t seem necessary.

For a league trying to legitimize itself to gain public attention, a bye week simply takes away any traction the league could gain that season. I know a lot of fans who are always surprised when there is a bye week and seemingly lose interest, especially when combined with the All-Star game. It’s diabolical to start All-Star voting after three weeks of play, considering the season is only 30% over. Fans seemingly blink and then they have to cast their votes for the league’s top players.

After the bye week, there are two more weeks of regular season play before the All-Star game, which itself feels like another bye week. Only a fraction of the league participates in the All-Star game, meaning everyone else gets the week off. However, All-Star games rarely have many physical demands, as the exertion level is lower compared to most other weeks. This four-week bye week, two regular weeks of action, culminating in an All-Star game, hurts the overall league.

Why don’t we have the All-Star game at the end of the regular season? This could be followed by a bye week before the start of the playoffs. Currently, the PLL has a 15-day window before the start of the playoffs following the conclusion of the regular season. Another period of no action that diverts fan interest. All of these unnecessary game stoppages confuse and frustrate fans more than anything, and it all comes from personal experiences interacting with countless PLL fans every year.

All of these breaks culminate in the season not ending until mid-September, which is weeks after the start of the college football season. The college football season is a huge event that impacts PLL viewership and interest every year. If I were the league, I would do everything I could to end the season before the college football season started.

I respect what the PLL does for the sport of lacrosse and how much effort these athletes put into the competition. Professional lacrosse is undoubtedly growing, and that is thanks to the PLL and its athletes. I know everyone involved, both on and off the field, works hard and needs some time off, but this structure is simply out of step with other professional sports leagues and hurts the overall growth of the league. They need to move the All-Star game to the end of the regular season, followed by a bye week leading into the playoffs. A 10-week regular season doesn’t warrant a bye week, especially this early in the season itself.