Major League Lacrosse
Leave it to a Chicago blog, (Chicagoist maybe) to point out something I never would have realized otherwise.  First of all, there is a Major League Lacrosse organization in the US.  Second of all, Chicago is getting their very own team, the Chicago Machine.  And third, why the hell am I so excited about this?  I've never seen a full game of lacrosse, and yet I can't wait to get to their first home game, which just happens to be on my birthday (June 3) against the San Francisco Dragons.

What does Wikipedia have to say about lacrosse?

Lacrosse is a fast-paced team sport played by two teams of ten players for men or twelve players for women each who use netted sticks (called the crosse) in order to pass and catch a rubber ball with the aim of scoring goals by propelling the ball into the opponent's goal.

Popular mostly in North America, lacrosse is the continent's oldest sport and the fastest growing sport at all levels – youth, high school, college, and professional. Lacrosse is especially popular in the northeastern part of the US and is Canada's national summer sport. It is expanding westward, with burgeoning lacrosse communities in Colorado, California, Oregon, Florida, Tennessee, and Texas.

In its modern form, men's lacrosse is played by three attackmen, three midfielders, three defensemen, and one goaltender on a grass or artificial turf field. Men wear helmets and other protective equipment as body-checking is an integral part of the game. Women wear protective eyewear (except for the goalie, who wears a helmet goalie mask), but less overall equipment because hitting is not permitted in the women's game except minor stick-checks.

The sport was invented by Native North Americans. Its name was dehuntshigwa'es in Onondaga ("men hit a rounded object"), da-nah-wah'uwsdi in Eastern Cherokee ("little war"), Tewaarathon in Mohawk language ("little brother of war"), and baaga'adowe in Ojibwe "the Creator's game". Since there was only one ball, early players concentrated on injuring their opponents with the sticks. Sometimes games lasted for days, and in the end some players were violently injured or even killed. They used balls made out of deerskin, clay, and sometimes wood. Lacrosse played a significant role in the community and religious life of tribes across the continent for untold years. Native American Lacrosse was characterized by a deeply spiritual involvement, and those who took part did so with dedicated spirit and with the goal of bringing glory and honour to themselves and their tribes.

Seriously.  I'm BEYOND excited at the prospect of going to one of these games.  I don't know why.  I usually hate sports.  But I can't wait to see this live.