*By Carlo Versano* Two brothers-turned-co-founders are using their Wall Street and athletic experience to make lacrosse a mainstream sport ー with its own league, season, venues, and even exclusive TV deals. Paul Rabil, a professional player with Major League Lacrosse, and his brother Mike founded the Premier Lacrosse League based on their shared love of a sport that has long been associated with Northeastern prep schools and Ivy League "bro" culture. But the Rabils see a potential to unlock a much wider audience, based, in part, on increased lacrosse participation in high schools nationwide. The sport has seen [35 percent](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-22/wall-street-s-lacrosse-fraternity-backs-rabil-s-upstart-league) participation growth since 2012, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, which the Rabils called "rocket fuel" for the PLL when they appeared on Cheddar Tuesday. With Mike serving as CEO and Paul as CSO, the brothers have already secured funding for a six-team league with a 14-game season ー as well as an exclusive live TV deal with NBC Sports Group. They will offer their full-time athletes benefits and equity in the league: "Athletes have become the new investors," Paul said. But their biggest challenge still lies ahead: convincing casual sports fans that there's more to LAX than the bros. *Disclaimer: Cheddar Founder and CEO Jon Steinberg is a PLL advisor.* For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/meet-wall-streets-lax-bros).

Share:
More In Business
Watchdog Slams IRS Identity Theft Case Delays as “Unconscionable”
An independent watchdog within the IRS reports that while taxpayer services have vastly improved, the agency is still too slow to resolve identity theft cases. And National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins says those delays are “unconscionable.” Erin M. Collins said in the report released Wednesday that overall the 2024 filing season went smoothly, though IRS delays in resolving identity theft victim assistance cases are worsening. It took nearly 19 months to resolve self-reported identity theft cases as of January, and Wednesday's report states that now it takes 22 months to resolve these cases.
A.I. Investments Carry Amazon Over $2 Trillion Valuation Threshold
Amazon.com Inc. surpassed $2 trillion in market value for the first time in afternoon trading on Wednesday. The push higher for Amazon’s stock market valuation comes a little more than a week after Nvidia hit $3 trillion and briefly became the most valuable company on Wall Street. Nvidia’s chips are used to power many AI application and its valuation has soared as a result. Amazon has also been making big investments in AI as global interest has grown in the technology. Most of the company’s focus has been on business-focused products.
Load More