When it comes to sports, the choice is seemingly endless. Whether it is playing, watching, betting on, coaching, or being involved in the commercial side, people love their sport and, around the world, they continue to be devoted to their favorite or favorites. Globally, the most popular sports include cricket, soccer (or football, of course), hockey, tennis, rugby and baseball. Naturally, there are North American sports such as American Football, Canadian greats such as lacrosse, and others that are loved, but globally, certain sports still reign supreme.
Nestled in among this list, however, and currently on an upward trajectory in terms of popularity, is volleyball and, as a related sport, beach volleyball. Not only are these now Olympic sports in their own right, but they are generating interest on a more commercial level too. Look at any sports forum in Japan or Brazil, look through sports network coverage in Europe and other parts of South America, take a glance at some betting sites in Canada – all of these will give you volleyball and beach volleyball information, games, odds, data, statistics, and coverage of all forms.
For those who are not well-versed in this wonderful sport, it is currently enjoying sustained growth, increasing popularity, and, as a result, a more commercially driven expansion and success. Part of this growth can be attributed to the number of young people who now, seeing it at the Olympics, are getting involved in volleyball. With numbers on the rise, this growth looks to be more global than ever. Why this is, and which countries are helping this, is something to take a look at, I think. What I found out in doing so highlights the reasons for this sporting success story.
USA Volleyball Expansion Delivering Sporting Business Boom
Since the men’s USA volleyball team won the first of its three Olympic gold medals in 1984, and their first world championship two years later, this is a sport that has been on the rise in America. In addition to this success, the women’s USA volleyball team enjoyed gold medal success in Tokyo 2020, and has also won other championships such as the Grand Prix tournament on multiple occasions.
To be clear, this sport was already popular around the world, but, let’s be honest, whenever the USA embraces a sport, the success of that sport suddenly reaches another massive participant pool and attracts the next level of audience and commercial potential.
Although it is up against the “big four” sports (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) and the increasingly popular MLS, volleyball in the USA is starting to be embraced by more people on a grassroots level. In turn, this has given rise to the more recent creation of a Pro-Volleyball Association and various professional and amateur organized leagues around the nation. Add to this the recent USA volleyball leadership commitments and you will begin to see the various strands of growth that volleyball is enjoying across North America. As I said earlier, it is growing around the world too, but clearly, the expansion in the US is helping the more worldwide landscape expand too.
With the new support from USA Volleyball for the Premier and Major League Volleyball leagues, this is also a sport that has become more popular at college level, or the so-called NCAA sporting setup. For those who may not know, college sports in the USA are huge. What’s more, the college sports leagues are one of the most important recruitment and growth grounds for most professional American sports.
The importance of this college-level growth for volleyball is increasing constantly, especially as it is a program that is now attracting more international students who wish to pursue volleyball in the USA.
International Investment Encouraging Volleyball’s Commercial Success
Much like many other sports, such as football and tennis, for example, the central administration for global volleyball is now based out of Switzerland. Having been formed in 1947, the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) has come a long way in both global players and commercial investment and standings. With Brazil one of the countries that continues to contribute to the popularity and growth of volleyball elsewhere in South America, and around the world, the federation has been able to harness this and grow the sports commercial interests far and wide.
For growth in sports, this business success is a must, not least to fund grassroots participation and professional league creation and development. It starts with looking at something as simple as the increase in registered players, the amount of volleyball equipment being sold, and then the overall global volleyball revenue being generated at every level. This includes everything from television coverage money to merchandising, league fees to player registration dues, and so much more. Ultimately, it is the international investment in the sport that is driving the increasing commercial success.
At the very start of this article, I said that volleyball was and is enjoying global growth. This is something I think I have covered and backed up, whether it is on the court, at the Olympics, or on the sandy shores of Rio and beyond. Whichever way I look at this, I see a propitious and exciting future for volleyball and, as someone who has watched it for many years and enjoyed playing beach volley during my time in Western Canada, I am pleased that it is looking so good.
