Two years after winning the Major League Lacrosse championship, the Ohio Machine will not have a 2019 season after the league announced a contraction from nine to six teams Monday.

The move was precipitated by a new league rule that prohibits owners from having more than one team.

Machine owner Jim Davis owned three other teams, and he elected to keep the Dallas Rattlers franchise operational this season. The Florida Launch and Charlotte Hounds are the other Davis-owned teams that will not play in 2019.

MLL commissioner Sandy Brown said based on the success of the Machine on the field and around the area, the league would like to get a team back in Columbus, but he couldn’t provide a timeline.

“We realize there's a strong market for the game in the Columbus area,” Brown said. “And we'd like to be back there. So we're certainly looking at every option to make that a reality."

The Machine was formed as an expansion franchise in 2012 and was scheduled to begin its eighth MLL season on June 1.

“This announcement comes as a terrible surprise to all of us at the Machine,” team president Ryan Chenault said in a statement Monday. “We share in the incredible disappointment in this upsetting news with all those that have supported us over the years.”

A professional lacrosse team could re-emerge in Columbus if a new owner buys the franchise from the league.

"If we could find the right ownership group, then there's a strong chance we could compete in the near future,” Chenault said. “That would be something that we are actively trying to explore at this point."

The league’s announcement mentioned restructuring the makeup of MLL “to focus on expansion in strategic markets,” as well as acquiring media rights to reach more fans, players and sponsors as it enters its 19th season.

Monday, the league announced a limit of one team per owner and that it had retained the exclusive rights to all games. Teams were free to explore options of broadcasting their games with regional sports networks in recent years. Brown said owning media rights was “table stakes” for getting new owners in the league.

Chenault’s statement on the team’s website said interest in the Machine was at a peak, with the organization closing in on its first broadcast deal with a regional sports network and having set an attendance record last year.

In 2017, the Machine began playing its home games at Fortress Obetz, a new $15 million stadium that village administrator Rod Davisson said would pay for itself. After Monday’s news, Davisson said he’s sad for the people in the organization, but doesn’t expect any financial impact from MLL’s decision.

“As the only team in (MLL) with its own stadium, we were positioned for long-term success like no other team in our league,” Chenault said in the team’s statement. “Unfortunately, we were not afforded the time to realize that success.”

The Central Ohio Youth Lacrosse League, which the Machine oversees, will continue operations this year, and the Machine’s foundation will also award its scholarships and grants, Chenault said.

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