🏐 How Volleyball (Quietly) Took Over College Sports

This week, I’ve partnered with content creator, Abby Benton (@numberonevolleyball, centered above) to highlight the under-discussed rise of volleyball in America and its implications on the business of sports.

Abby is a one-of-one talent and her impact growing the game of volleyball across all levels is admirable.

Let’s dive in as she gets us up to speed…

🗞 The Big Story: Volleyball’s Boom

📈 Bright Future: Champions At Last

📺 Media Paradox: Doing it Alone

🗞 The Big Story

NCAA President Charlie Baker said it best: "I think it’s one of the hottest sports in collegiate athletics."

A fresh trend is taking the country by storm, and it's neither basketball, football, nor baseball that's at the forefront—it's volleyball.

This sport has experienced an impressive boom in interest, especially among young female athletes, establishing itself as the breakout sensation of 2024.

This is a compelling reason for investors to wake up and take notice.

Impressive Attendance: A whopping 77 Division I schools showcased a strong and expanding fanbase by having an average attendance of at least 1,000 fans per match, underlining the sport's widespread popularity.

This collective support illustrates the growing appeal of NCAA Volleyball, making it a key contributor to the vibrant collegiate sports culture.

The NCAA Volleyball semi-final matches shattered the all-time indoor volleyball attendance record with 19,598 spectators.

Three days later, the championship match between Texas and Nebraska not only secured the title but also set a new record with a crowd of 19,727, emphasizing the sport's ability to draw large audiences consistently.

Wait, there's an outdoor attendance record? On August 30, 2023, Nebraska broke the all-time attendance record for not only women's volleyball but all of women's sports worldwide with 92,003 fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium.

And it's not just the big-wigs attracting the fandoms.

A notable 79% of Power 5 teams experienced a surge in average attendance throughout the 2023 season, with a remarkable 31 Division I teams setting new records for their all-time single-match attendance.

One of these teams, Missouri, saw their average attendance TRIPLE compared to the previous season.

This indicates not only a widening fanbase but also a deeper engagement with the sport among major athletic programs, contributing to the overall success and sustainability of NCAA Volleyball.

Viewership Triumphs: The 2023 championship match achieved a milestone by setting a TV viewership record for NCAA Volleyball.

With an average of 1.7 million viewers, it marked a remarkable 115% increase from the previous year's championship, highlighting the sport's increasing television appeal.

The most-watched volleyball match in 2023 equaled the viewership of the most-viewed MLS game, surpassing the viewership figures for other prominent sports leagues such as the XFL, WNBA, and NWSL.

This achievement underscores the increasing popularity and competitiveness of NCAA Volleyball on the national sports stage.

It's clear that volleyball is a likable sport to watch on television. According to Morning Consult, data shows a majority of U.S. adults rank volleyball as the women's sport they most enjoy watching (basketball came fourth, and women's soccer seventh).

Years of grassroots initiatives at the high school and college level have contributed to its rise.

The reason that volleyball is becoming popular to watch on television is for a plethora of reasons:

• Fast-paced and momentum-shifting

• Easy to understand with limited rules

• Matches are generally not longer than 2 hours

📈 Bright Future

Youth Participation: Girls' participation in high school volleyball has increased 15% since 2002 and 8.4% since 2012, making it the second-most popular women's sport at the high school level.

Participation even spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, when EVERY other girl's sport saw a decrease in participation.

In the 2022-2023 season, USA Volleyball membership increased by 9.6% to 408,000, the largest increase since 1998.

The growth of volleyball at the youth level has been exponential not just this year but even in the past 10-15 years.

In 2012, each age group at USAV Nationals had an average of three divisions. In 2022, this number rose to an average of seven divisions per age group

US Women’s National Team To Defend Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics: Despite volleyball being invented in the United States in the late 1800s, it’s Russia, China, and Japan who have dominated the women’s game at the Olympics.

However, at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, The US Women’s Team won Gold for the first time in history. This elevated popularity and demand for volleyball and the stage is set for a chance to repeat as gold medalists at the Paris Olympics.

Professional Volleyball Taking Stage In Two Weeks: It’s crazy to think that we live in a world where a country could win an Olympic Gold Medal in volleyball without having a viable professional league in that country.

Given the significant expansion and increased popularity of the sport of volleyball, one might naturally assume that a professional league would already exist within the United States, correct?

However, despite numerous unsuccessful endeavors to establish such a league over the past several decades, it is only now that the first traditional professional volleyball league, known as the PVF, is preparing to launch its inaugural season in just a few short weeks.

The Omaha Supernovas will take on the Atlanta Vibe on January 24th in the Chi Health Arena.

📺 Media Paradox

Addressing the Media Paradox: A popular women's sports platform made a list of 17 Game Changers in Women's Sports. There were many basketball players, soccer players, and tennis players.

There was even a racecar driver, field hockey coach, and speedskater.

How many volleyball players made the list you might ask? None.

In the U.S., women's volleyball stands independently popular, without the necessity to be bolstered by the men's game—a rarity in the world of sports.

This unique position, while commendable, has unfortunately led to a misconception that the sport doesn't need as much backing from the community as other women's sports do.

This misconception needs to be addressed and corrected.

Despite the stiff competition for viewership from both college football and the National Football League (NFL), NCAA Volleyball has managed to consistently maintain its success and popularity.

👀 Keep an Eye Out

Social Media's Impact On The Game: The influence of social media on volleyball's popularity cannot be overstated.

The COVID-19 pandemic elevated the volleyball scene on social media. Platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok have allowed players to showcase their skills and personalities, attracting a new generation of fans.

Volleyball translates very well to vertical-centric platforms like TikTok a lot better than most other women's sports.

Furthermore, these platforms have provided a space for the volleyball community to connect, share, and grow, contributing significantly to the sport's rising popularity.

Some players that are worth the follow on Instagram include:

• Madisen Skinner - 94.2K followers

• Zoe Fleck - 113K followers

• Lexi Rodriguez - 94.4K followers

• Harper Murray - 80.9K followers

Some players to follow on TikTok:

• Fallan Lanham - 240.4K followers

• Devyn Robinson - 110.8K followers

• Ally Batenhorst - 169.9K followers

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A final note from Abby:

The rise of women's volleyball is a testament to the sport's inherent appeal and the dedication of its players and fans.

The sport's increasing popularity, record-breaking attendance, and impressive viewership numbers are clear indicators of the perfect storm in 2024 to absolutely explode in mainstream sports.

It's high time that the media and the broader sports community acknowledge this growth and give women's volleyball the recognition it deserves.

Happy 2024!

Go follow Abby on TikTok & Instagram and listen to her new podcast, Volley Takes!