The Premier Lacrosse League is forced to adapt to the spread of Covid-19 with modified rules and play style for the upcoming 2020 season. The spread of the Covid-19 virus has resulted in many sports leagues entirely canceling their seasons, however, the PLL plans to work within guidelines to pull off the PLL Championship Series.

When news broke that major sports leagues such as the MLB, NBA, NFL, and the NCAA tournament were canceling their 2020 season, PLL co-founder Paul Rabil was on a flight from New York to Los Angeles with his brother (and the other co-founder of the PLL) Mike Rabil. The two brothers realized they needed to develop a way for the PLL to have its second season.

The brothers would end up devising the PLL Championship Series. “The concentration of professional lacrosse on television will be unlike anything anyone has ever seen,” Rabil told Sports Illustrated. The brothers planned to reopen the league for a two-week gap, where teams will play for the 2020 season. 

“Throughout the first week, the League’s seven teams will compete in a fourteen game group play format to determine to seed for the following weeks single-elimination.” Paul Rabil worked with the resources of investors and sponsors to deliver this to the fans.

With reopening the League for play comes a lot of health questions the PLL plans to account for. “To guarantee the safety of tournament participants and staff, the PLL has formed a COVID-19 Medical Committee that will consist of multiple physicians, including infectious disease experts.” The league adapted to safely play its games without putting players or staff at risk.

Paul Rabil and the league he created adapted to the spread of Covid-19, and plan on giving the fans the 2020 PLL season. The PLL Championship series will be held from July 25th to August 9th, and can be viewed on NBC, NBCSN, and all NBC streaming apps.