BALTIMORE, May 28 (UPI) -- U.S. lacrosse officials say the sport is now thriving, despite the negative attention resulting from the Duke University rape allegations.
Many officials admit the since-dismissed case involving the Duke lacrosse team may have drawn the public eye to their sport nearly a year ago, but the sport had already been growing steadily through the nation at that point, The New York Times said Monday.
"No one is glad this happened. This didn't actually grow the game," Inside Lacrosse publisher Bob Carpenter said. "It shed a spotlight on a phenomenon that was about to peak on its own."
His opinion is backed up by National Federation of State High School Associations data showing lacrosse is the highest-growing sport in high schools nationwide.
According to Duke standout Matt Danowski, those involved with lacrosse need to overcome any stigma from the case and maintain that popularity well into the future.
"In a very bad way that hurt a lot of people, it brought lacrosse to the forefront," Danowski told the Times. "Now it's our opportunity and our job to make a positive about it."
