LAX v. Crew: A Tale of Two Prep Camps

Over the weekend, 3072 Q Street (also known as Tri Gab) spent Saturday afternoon boating on the Potomac. While we were anchored near the Key Bridge we got to talking about the difference between people who play lacrosse ("Lax") and those who row (Crew). Since all four of us attended either boarding school or private day school, we're uniquely positioned to make broad, sweeping generalizations about thousands of our contemporaries. (NB: None of us played lacrosse or rowed in high school with the exception of one or two seasons of JV lacrosse.) For those who attended private school or grew up in the north-east United States, lacrosse and crew are two of the most quintessential preppy sports. On the surface a non-biased observer would assume that the people who play the two sports are very similar. But, in fact, you would be wrong. The differences are subtle, but important. (This post addresses males who play the two sports, females are a different breed completely.)

Lacrosse: Your average LAX player is likely from an upper middle class family. His parents are probably professionals of some sort: lawyers, doctors, stockbrokers, etc. They're not rich in the strict sense of the word, but rather comfortable. They likely live in a leafy, traditional suburb such as Wellesley, MA, Darien, CT, or Maryland. An author on Slate once summed it up like this: "Lacrosse players hail from the privileged, largely white pockets of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. They unite and form tribes in Eastern prep schools, where they can be spotted driving SUVs with "LAX" stickers affixed to the rear windows. Many grow addicted to dipping Skoal and wearing soiled white caps with college logos on them. They gain entry into top colleges by virtue of their skills with the stick. They graduate, start careers in New York, marry trophy wives, and put lacrosse sticks in their kids' cribs." Lax players have a smugness that is aggressive and loud; it's in your face constantly. Think two guys in pinnies (well really, if you play lax when aren't you wearing a pinny?), wearing backwards dirty white college caps screaming "LAX, BRO" at the top of their lungs. It doesn't matter what sport you play, but it will never compare to lax. You simply don't get it, because you've never played lax. Lax, bro, is the ULTIMATE sport.

(Disclosure: I have several close friends from high school who played varsity lacrosse and my apologies to them. However, my school was not exactly a lax powerhouse. Our unbeaten record my junior year was shattered by a memorable game with Charlestown High, who ended up sending 3 of my classmates to the hospital. If you're confused about Charlestown, MA, watch The Town. No way for a small, liberal Boston day school to compete with that sort of aggression.)

Crew: In contrast to the LAX player, your typical rower is distinctly upper class. They hail from rich families (see the Winklevoss twins, Marc Zuckerberg's nemesis), who live in rich towns (i.e. Greenwich, CT). Their parents are at the top of whatever profession they belong to, most likely finance or business of some sort. Rowers start very early -- if you're not rowing freshmen year of high school, then you're not serious about the sport. Oh you say, you didn't have crew in high school and you want to start in college? Well I suppose, but frankly we're not sure you understand the difficulty of this sport or the discipline needed to compete. When a rower isn't in his rowing outfit, then he's likely well dressed which stands in marked contrast to the lax player who is always dressed to play a pick up game. Like lax players, rowers have a smugness about their sport, but it's far more subtle. It's reserved, it isn't the chest thumping triumphalism of lax. It's a more, self-assured belief that rowing sets them apart from the little people. It's an airiness born of significant privilege. Nothing can touch them. Oh you didn't row? Well that's ok, to quote Judge Smails, the world needs ditch diggers too.