A Conversation with Paul Rabil

From Athlete to Entrepreneur: Premier Lacrosse League Co-founder Paul Rabil Meets with a “Slice of Citadel” in Our Latest Connect Conversation

Connect Conversations are unique events where Citadel and Citadel Securities colleagues meet with thought leaders from different fields. Participants learn what drives these leaders and how they overcame obstacles. Our team probes our guests with insightful questions, discovering new insights and drawing inspiration from their varied journeys.

In our latest exchange, Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) co-founder Paul Rabil met with “A Slice of Citadel” for a wide-ranging discussion on entrepreneurship, a champion’s mindset and the evolving business of sports in an ever-changing media landscape.

“Lacrosse, like hockey or golf, has a high barrier to entry due to equipment costs,” Paul said. “That chance moment enabled me to try a sport and fall in love with it.”

Enjoying classic slices from New York pizzeria Delizia 73, Paul reflected on building the PLL from scratch with his brother Mike Rabil. He opened with a personal reflection on his first exposure to lacrosse: an inspiring story of a neighbor handing him a stick and pads.
The dialogue then shifted to the business of modern sports. The Rabil brothers had a vision for a new league, purpose-built for a new media age. Paul highlighted how the PLL uses short-form content on platforms like YouTube to fuel long-form fan engagement.

“When we launched the PLL in 2018, part of what investors were betting on was that we would take advantage of this shift in the marketplace’s transition over the next several years,” Paul said. A recent media rights deal with ESPN—and a new minority stake from the network—suggest that PLL investors are making good on that bet.

Unlike legacy leagues, which operate as trade associations, the PLL is wholly owned, giving Paul and his investors freedom to innovate as they grow their product. “We own all eight PLL teams, all four Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) teams, our youth business and a media company called The Lacrosse Network,” Paul noted. Selling individual franchises, Paul said, is a topic for another day.

Looking toward the future, Paul painted a picture of an evolving offering. His tailwinds, he said, are three enduring value drivers: scarcity, live intellectual property and the in-person experience. These factors, he noted, help make live sports resistant to AI disruption.

“If a robot shoots 100 perfect three-pointers from mid-court at Madison Square Garden, it may go viral at first,” Paul said with a wink. “But people will stop caring because they know it won’t miss.” The inherent drama of sports, he explained, is that someone has to lose.

During the gathering, Paul demonstrated his chops as a manager as much as a champion. His employees, he said, follow three core principles: be the subject matter expert in whatever they do, advocate for their perspective, then execute and perform postmortems.

After the Q&A session, Paul met individually with team members and signed copies of his book, The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence, and the Path Forward. In addition to the book, all attendees received an authentic PLL or WLL uniform jersey and tickets to the PLL’s July 18-19 games in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Watch the replay below of Paul’s “Slice of Citadel” session to uncover more of his journey toward discovering the way of the champion.