If you’re a lacrosse player or fan, you’ve probably always wondered, how much do pro lacrosse players actually make? I hear so many different numbers, so I did some research and looked at the facts. Let’s get into it.
So your salary as a pro lacrosse player really depends on which league you’re in. Here’s a breakdown of pro lacrosse player salaries for the different leagues:
Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)
The average salary of a lacrosse player in the PLL is $35,000 according to an article from CNBC. In addition, players receive other benefits such as health care and equity in the league itself. This is the first sports league of any kind where players actually own equity in their own league. It’s pretty cool to see.
Unfortunately, there is very little other data on PLL player salaries, such as the highest paid player or salary caps. I did research and found the minimum salary for a PLL player in $25,000, which is very respectable when you compare it to some of the other leagues.
Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
The salary range for pro lacrosse players in the MLL is between $10,000 and $25,000 with no other benefits.
Recently, the MLL front office stated its intent to increase the salary range by 51%, however, there is no public information on if this actually happened. With the rise of the PLL, it looks the MLL is on its last legs. Several team owners have quit and the league is struggling to make money. I don’t think two outdoor pro lacrosse leagues will last much longer.
National Lacrosse League (NLL)
In the NLL, the average base salary is $19,135, with a maximum salary being around $34,000 for a franchise player.
According to a press release from the NLL in 2018, salaries and benefits were expected to increase by 25% as well. Many players play in both an outdoor league like the MLL and PLL in addition to the NLL box league. The NLL is definitely taking steps in the right direction to grow and does a great job with providing streaming and highlights.
The Final Verdict
Overall, the average pro lacrosse salary is $23,878 between the three main leagues.
No matter which league you play in, it’s pretty difficult to make a full-time income from playing lacrosse. Most players have another job in addition to their playing career, although the Premier Lacrosse League is converting more players into full-time roles.
The good news is, there’s plenty of opportunity for scholarship money in college, especially at the division one level. Here’s how to get recruited to play D1 Lacrosse!