There are a lot of lacrosse-related metaphors regarding warfare, and warfare-related metaphors regarding lacrosse. Many of the preparations undertaken by ball players have close or identical analogues among wartime preparations. The association between the two has deep roots and grew increasingly stronger in the late-1700s and early 1800s. At that time, actual warfare became less common in the Eastern Woodlands and men required a new venue for acquiring prestige formerly associated with military service.

This relatively recent shift in metaphoric emphasis has obscured other aspects of the game. At the time of Contact and for quite some time after, it was employed as a medicine game. More importantly for your question, though, a game between two villages was a huge social event and the subject of considerable gambling, with all manner of prizes up for grabs. Though the sum total of exchanges could be staggering, they usual involved many small personal wagers. However, the leaders of villages or nations might wager for higher stakes on behalf of their constituents.

A famous example of this is recorded in Horatio Cushman's History of the Choctaw, Chickasaw and Natchez Indians. The incident was related to Cushman from the well-respected Creek-by-birth, Choctaw-by-adoption elder Stonie Hadjo, through an intermediary and concerns an 18th Century disagreement between the Creeks and the Choctaw over a particularly lucrative hunting ground. The Creeks claimed it because they had been the ones to discover that a large population of beavers had established themselves in the area, while the Choctaw claimed it because it was within their general territorial claim. To settle the dispute, a ballgame was held. Thousands of people of each nation gathered to observe the game.

The Creeks won the game, but during the celebration, a Choctaw player and a Creek player exchanged insults which escalated into a brawl and into an all out fight that lasted the rest of the evening and picked up briefly the following morning. The leaders of the respective sides got a hold of the situation and quickly entered into peace negotiations. They matter was laid to rest then, and the Choctaw granted ownership of the disputed lands (which turned out not to be as lucrative as everyone thought anyhow). Hadjo regarded the post-game fight as worse than any actual war fought between the Choctaw and the Creek before; five-hundred people allegedly died during the fighting, the majority of whom Hadjo considered to be the most promising young men of their generation. They were buried near the ball field while the peace talks were on-going, and in 1832 their graves were looted for the silver that had been buried with them.

For more information about lacrosse, its social context, and some other famous lacrosse games, see American Indian Lacrosse by Thomas Vennum.