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Post by Murina on Sept 23, 2005 1:28:52 GMT -5
From what I understand, the USPV folded because their $1million sponsor, Royal Neighbors of America Insurance, pulled out in the wake of 9/11. They couldn't find another sponsor to replace them. I understood the same as VBCOACH the USPV having been on track.
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Post by sonofbarcelonabob on Sept 23, 2005 1:40:02 GMT -5
By the way, the inability of the USVBA to capitalize on the success of the 1984 Men and Women (and the 1988 Men) was one factor in Karchs' decision not to play in the 1992 Olympics because he was so frustrated. There's been alot of speculation on this. At the time, Karch cited the fact that he wanted to spend more time with his young family, after having spent the long pro season away from them in Italy. Unsaid also was he wanted to come back and dominate on the beach and knock Smith/Stoklos off the top of the heap. I think one of my old tapes from 1992 has an interview they did with Karch sitting at home in San Clemente during the Olympics. At any rate, there's also debate on whether Karch could have actually helped the team or not. It is widely held that his indoor game was already on the decline as early as his 1991 season with Il Messagero. I saw him play in the 1992 Team Cup matches in LA, which were several months after the 1992 Olympics, and his game had definetely deteriorated a bit. He was still the leader, and a great passer/defender. But his hitting had gone down bigtime.
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Post by Gorf on Sept 23, 2005 1:58:20 GMT -5
So had it not been for GW's economic policy and the downward spiral of the US Economy, how do you think the USAV would be doing now? Weren't they about to expand to some additional cities? Dallas was one of 'em... I believe Philly was another.
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Post by Wolfgang on Sept 23, 2005 2:01:29 GMT -5
The only real way this sport will catch the eye of the masses is if someone figures out a better way to televise the product. Very difficult to watch indoor volleyball on the tube. Actually, I prefer watching volleyball on TV more than live. I get different angles, close-ups, and deeper stats. Plus, I'm sitting in a la-z-boy that is situated equidistant from the fridge and the bathroom. What more could I want?
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Post by Gorf on Sept 23, 2005 2:05:08 GMT -5
By the way, the inability of the USVBA to capitalize on the success of the 1984 Men and Women (and the 1988 Men) was one factor in Karchs' decision not to play in the 1992 Olympics because he was so frustrated. The men's and women's "demonstration" matches after 1984's gold medal were drawing very good sized crowds around the country. I believe they drew 10K - 15K fans each time they played in this area. Plus, the MLV (Major League Volleyball) did okay for 3-4 years. The California teams cound't draw fans at all, however, the Minnesota team generally had pretty packed arenas (although like the USPV they were semi-small facilities of like 3-4K max attendance). I believe Portland and Chicago drew pretty good crowds as well, but don't remember how well Dallas drew.
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Post by Wolfgang on Sept 23, 2005 2:36:01 GMT -5
As much as I love volleyball, I can't get excited about a league with so few teams. It has to be at least 16 teams, perhaps 20. Ideally, 30 teams and geographically dispersed. (Let's just forget about marketing for now) And no weird small-town names like Cedar Rapids Cowchippers or Evansville Ewoks or Green Bay Packers. Just pick the major metropolitan areas. And enough with each team playing another team 7 trillion times per season like the NBA and MLB. You played each other twice this season... enough already! Let's move on....
What can I say? I like variety.
This is, of course, my preference. It's not necessarily fair or workable though.
I like the schedules of college football, college volleyball, college basketball, and the NFL.
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Post by Wolfgang on Sept 23, 2005 2:50:56 GMT -5
No-holds barred (mixed martial arts), or otherwise known as Ultimate Fighting, has made a revival. It was underground for a loooong time and then it was in the fringes (tournaments were held in foreign countries and here in the USA in Indian Reservations). Now, it's becoming more mainstream. Royce Gracie...now there was a guy...
I always liked the purity of it.
It's my vice.
But I hate boxing.
Too bad US Pro Volleyball can't make such a big surge like that.
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Post by Wolfgang on Sept 23, 2005 4:53:25 GMT -5
It will not be a legit pro league without ALL the best players in the world. As much as I like the American collegiate volleyball stars of today (and yesterday), it just won't be the same without the likes of Artamanova and Jelic and players of that stature. The REAL horses.
It's like Major League Soccer in the USA. I mean, real soccer fans know all the best players are in Europe and South America.
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Post by silversurfer on Sept 23, 2005 11:06:09 GMT -5
It will not be a legit pro league without ALL the best players in the world. As much as I like the American collegiate volleyball stars of today (and yesterday), it just won't be the same without the likes of Artamanova and Jelic and players of that stature. The REAL horses. It's like Major League Soccer in the USA. I mean, real soccer fans know all the best players are in Europe and South America. I disagree. I don't think the average US volleyball fan knows who armtavkzova is or cares. They'd rather see the people they watched in college and have heard about. That's not to say they wouldn't enjoy watching those people play, but not enough people in the US know to care if they're not around.
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Post by sIsam on Sept 23, 2005 11:12:34 GMT -5
It will not be a legit pro league without ALL the best players in the world. As much as I like the American collegiate volleyball stars of today (and yesterday), it just won't be the same without the likes of Artamanova and Jelic and players of that stature. The REAL horses. It's like Major League Soccer in the USA. I mean, real soccer fans know all the best players are in Europe and South America. I disagree. I don't think the average US volleyball fan knows who armtavkzova is or cares. They'd rather see the people they watched in college and have heard about. That's not to say they wouldn't enjoy watching those people play, but not enough people in the US know to care if they're not around. They'd never know what they're missing... Ignorance is bliss
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Post by Gorf on Sept 23, 2005 11:27:05 GMT -5
I disagree. I don't think the average US volleyball fan knows who armtavkzova is or cares. They'd rather see the people they watched in college and have heard about. That's not to say they wouldn't enjoy watching those people play, but not enough people in the US know to care if they're not around. They'd never know what they're missing... Ignorance is bliss The "average fan" might be drawn at first to matches based on name recognition of players from local / conference collegiate teams, however, I do believe they would become extremely excited about the international players as well once they saw them play.
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Post by Wolfgang on Sept 23, 2005 11:44:51 GMT -5
Yes, you need money and big TV endorsements to keep a pro league afloat. But I have an alternative solution:
Bake Sale
It kept my Chess Club afloat in high school. It was so successful that I implemented it for my Daughter of the American Revolution Club. The latter also was a success. Hear me out: Bake Sale is the secret.
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Post by cyberVBmidwest on Sept 23, 2005 12:24:21 GMT -5
Actually, the USPV drew quite well, sellng out multiple times in each city (although the venues were small.) All was going well, attendance wise, according to their marketing plan, which I've seen. It was a multiple year (10 year) plan, and they were hitting their first year goals. If they were on plan, why did it fold? How do the european leagues do it?
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Post by bigfan on Sept 23, 2005 12:55:44 GMT -5
How do the european leagues do it? The teams have a ton of individual sponsor's; everything from beer companies, bakeries, retaurants, car companies etc, etc, etc.
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Post by sIsam on Sept 23, 2005 13:47:37 GMT -5
If they were on plan, why did it fold? How do the european leagues do it? Here in Turkey, in addition to club teams, some big corporations establish their own teams (not just in volleyball but also in pretty much any other sport but soccer...). Not only is it good for the sport but also gives them a chance at publicity...
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