Texas votes against sanctioning lacrosse, water polo

October 27, 2016 / Athletic AdministrationLacrosseWater Polo
Texas’ athletic association has rejected proposals to sanction new sports, including lacrosse, water polo and gymnastics.

Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen 
Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen

The University Interscholastic League’s (UIL) Legislative Council met last weekend and considered adding a number of new sports, but none won overwhelming support. The council considered boxing, gymnastics, water polo, lacrosse, table tennis, bass fishing and cooking, according to The Dallas Morning News. Some were favored more than others.

From the article:

Lacrosse and water polo were presented after the UIL had conducted surveys over the previous months on whether schools would favor adding the two sports. Nearly 80 percent of respondents were against lacrosse. Water polo had 43 percent in support, a number that continues to climb. While the UIL didn’t take action to add water polo, that could be coming soon. 

“I think it’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when,” UIL deputy director Jamey Harrison said.

According to the article, Texas has not added a new team sport since 1999, but it sounds like that could soon change. It’s a bit surprising to see that lacrosse didn’t have more support, given the number of states that are adding it. Last year, Ohio voted to sanction lacrosse beginning with the 2016-17 school year.

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