10
Thursday, July 30, 2020
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
In bubble, Mikie Schlosser is only focused on winning
In coming weeks, fans of
major
professional
televised
sports leagues like the MLB,
NBA and NHL will see the highly
anticipated returns of sports in
the form of abbreviated, COVID-
19-adjusted seasons. The NBA is
creating a local bubble, while
the MLB is trying its best to keep
its employees socially isolated
— the latter of which being an
incredibly difficult avenue that
college athletics will most likely
pursue, should there be sports
this fall.
But before most of these
leagues even begin, fans of
Major League Lacrosse (MLL),
one of two major professional
field lacrosse leagues in the
United States, will already have
seen their season come and go
barring any disruptions.
The
MLL’s
20th
season
kicked off its nine-day stretch
last weekend and will conclude
this weekend with a four-team
playoff starting Saturday and
championship
game
for
the
Steinfeld Trophy on Sunday.
Throughout
the
week,
the
league has carried out its regular
season with all six teams playing
five games in seven days inside
an empty Navy-Marine Corps
Memorial Stadium at the Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Md.
To
ensure
proper
social
distancing and public health
measures are taken, all players
were tested prior to arrival and
are receiving daily temperature
checks.
In
addition,
team
benches
reside
on
opposite
sidelines as opposed to their
typical configuration of side-by-
side.
Since its inception in 2000,
the MLL has endured a series
of business booms and busts,
expansions and contractions, in
an attempt to grow the game of
lacrosse in markets across the
country.
So, after 20 years, it is only
natural
that
the
MLL
has
adapted to the hurdle of COVID-
19 and has been able to put forth
another season.
Although a plethora of talent
exited the league in 2019 to go
to a newer touring league — the
Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)
— some, like Denver Outlaws
midfielder
Mikie
Schlosser,
remain
committed
to
the
league. And while this season’s
parameters are less than ideal,
Schlosser is just grateful for the
opportunity to play lacrosse.
“I think the league is very
resilient,”
Schlosser
said.
“They’ve done a lot to change
and keep up with the times. I’m
just very fortunate that they’re
able to put on (this season) and
give us a chance to play and the
fans a chance to watch. That’s
what it’s all about.”
Schlosser
played
for
the
Michigan men’s lacrosse team
from 2014 to 2017 and was a key
offensive contributor during all
four years, recording 50 career
goals and serving as a captain
his junior and senior seasons.
Since graduating college and
entering the MLL, Schlosser
has dished out 41 goals and 10
assists in three seasons with the
Outlaws. Last year, Schlosser
scored 17 goals and earned
his first trip to the MLL All-
Star game, but the Outlaws
failed
to
win
back-to-back
championships after a 10-9 loss
in the 2019 MLL championship
game
to
the
Chesapeake
Bayhawks.
With a shot for redemption
and the season up in the air
with
COVID-19,
Schlosser
spent the past couple months of
quarantine training to get back
to that moment.
“Our goal every year is to
win a championship,” Schlosser
said. “That’s the only thing we
are trying to achieve here. The
individual stuff guys couldn’t
really care less for. … At the
end of the day, things are fun
if you’re successful. No matter
what happens during the game,
if we win, I’m happy. It’s kinda
all or nothing. It’s hard to have
fun if you lose in my opinion.”
With the season underway,
his
training
has
paid
off.
Through four games, Schlosser
has already notched three goals
and one assist. The Outlaws are
undefeated and, having already
clinched a playoff berth, are
poised to have another shot at
the title.
This
season,
the
MLL
expanded the active day roster
for teams from 19 to 25 players.
Schlosser believes that a deeper
roster has allowed Denver to
overcome the physical stress of
playing so many games in such
a short timespan. In a typical
MLL season, teams will play
once a week, but this week, each
team is guaranteed to play at
least five games.
“We’re able to cycle through a
lot more players,” Schlosser said.
“I think our games seem pretty
fresh still just considering we
have extra subs that we normally
wouldn’t have. So I think that is
allowing people to get their rest
and not (exert themselves) as
hard in the games.
“So far I think we’re off to a
good start. We just gotta try to
keep getting better each game
and keep having fun.”
In the MLL bubble, Schlosser
and his teammates have made an
effort to cram a typical summer’s
worth of fun and memories into
just over one week inside their
hotel.
Whether
it’s
playing
Wii Sports in someone’s room,
joking around in the shuttle to
the stadium or getting together
after a game for a team dinner,
the Outlaws are working on
building a tight team bond off
the field with the hopes that it
will produce positive results on
the field.
“I think a big thing, especially
at this level, is that there’s a lot of
talent everywhere, so you have
to enjoy the moment and enjoy
being with the guys,” Schlosser
said.
“Because
that’s
what
ultimately makes a difference in
the end. I love competing with
my teammates and winning. I
think that’s kind of how I put it
all together.”
The lacrosse community will
look back on the MLL’s 20th
anniversary
season
someday,
and it will be impossible to
ignore its peculiarities. It will
mark a period of adversity,
excitement and quite possibly
evolution, for a league that has
struggled to manage the rise of
the PLL and its own internal
battles.
Still, despite those daunting
challenges, it’s a season that’s
happening
because
it
could
bubble its players — the one
sure-fire way to protect athletes
and staff without a vaccine
available.
DREW COX
Daily Sports Writer
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Midfielder Mikie Schlosser became Michigan’s first junior captain when he played for the Wolverines from 2014 to 2017.
CARRIE GAMPER/MLL
Midfielder Mikie Schlosser is playing for the Denver Outlaws in Major League Lacrosse’s bubble during the 2020 season.