Where does lacrosse come from? LACROSSE APPAREL Lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America, with its origin dating back to the 1400s. It did not become generally known and talked about however, until the 1600s when a Jesuit missionary named Jean de Brebeuf saw the Huron Indians play it. In a report to his superiors, he stated little about the actual play of the game but seemed to be intrigued by the stick the Indians used while playing. Jean de Brebeuf likened the stick the Indians competed with, to the "crosier" carried at religious ceremonies by a bishop. Thus, the name la CROSSE evolved, and this later became simply "lacrosse."