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Post by milkmandan on Nov 21, 2023 16:56:32 GMT -5
I don't think rule changes are what the sport needs to increase its profile. It needs better marketing and TV availability. It needs identifiable and marketable stars. And it needs to grow in participation in the population centers in the northeast.
This is all sort of happening organically now, but could be helped along if USA Volleyball got some real resources behind a big national push. What helped grow soccer in this country is the rest of the world sort of dragged the U.S. up to their level of interest. Professional foreign leagues don't have the same draw here as the Premier League or the cultural influence for latino populations, so what can rally a bunch of people? You need the national team to all be national stars like the U.S. Women's Soccer Team.
Having a domestic pro league that lasts more than a year or two would certainly help.
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Post by bbg95 on Nov 21, 2023 17:27:39 GMT -5
No, let's go totally nuclear and eliminate the utterly stupid requirement for "rotations". Play your 6 best players in their best positions 100% of the time. Volleyball is the only sport that is dumb enough to require each player to move to different positions throughout the match. This would be like baseball requiring your best pitcher to move each inning to 1st base...center field...catcher...etc. Why? To show how versatile they are? Ridiculous. The game would be faster, better quality, and way more exciting. Don't just tweak a lousy current model. Blow it up and really make it exciting with the best players in their best positions. Interesting idea. It does seem like very few announcers I see/hear in broadcasts pay much attention to rotations. Plus, when you're at a match you can (if you choose) pay attention to rotations, who is in the front row, etc. But when you're watching on television it's sometimes impossible to really see who is subbing in and out or rotating. And the announcers don't help. But your baseball analogy is a little off since it only applies to defense in baseball. Baseball still has to stick to a batting rotation, unless you want to make a substitution. But still, interesting concept. Better announcers (i.e. ones who actually understand volleyball) will point out rotations. Amy Gant talks about them quite a bit. |
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Post by txvbcoach on Nov 21, 2023 17:37:51 GMT -5
Also, let's get Hawkeye live so we don't have to spend time on in-out challenges. 😁 hawkeye is way too expensive for any ncaa program besides maybe nebraska. they just need the conferences to invest in better cameras (and camera locations) Good luck with this. I've reffed in many college facilities and the placement of cameras varies widely. Some even have them on a tripod where fans walk by constantly. Others are in larger facilities and they are a "mile" away at angles to the side lines. When the R2 goes to the hardware for a CRS challenge it can be a crap shoot. Most facilities are multi-use and the official reps of those facilities say they've already put more money into the systems than they want to. So unless NCAA is going to put up a lot of money to equitably outfit each facility then you end up with a wide range of configurations and camera quality that would challenge anyone to find a micro touch, or to see the ball on an in/out because compression happens and shadows blur the area around the play. Hawkeye would do it but I heard those systems are expensive. |
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Post by maigrey on Nov 21, 2023 19:04:43 GMT -5
Also, let's get Hawkeye live so we don't have to spend time on in-out challenges. 😁 Amen. Hawkeye has completely changed the major tennis tournaments and could do the same for volleyball. Instant audible tone...no challenges for in-out...play keeps moving without delays. And the high-speed, high-resolution cameras on touches are already used in major international VB tournaments, with great results. I would also get rid of "net violations" except for egregious ones that actually affect play. It's ridiculous nit-picking with almost no effect on the flow of play. oh, and along with that, incidental double contacts on hand sets. Or at least for everyone except the setter. But, they're like let courts in tennis, my opinion is just play on. |
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Post by maigrey on Nov 21, 2023 19:06:52 GMT -5
Also, let's get Hawkeye live so we don't have to spend time on in-out challenges. 😁 hawkeye is way too expensive for any ncaa program besides maybe nebraska. they just need the conferences to invest in better cameras (and camera locations) I know, but a girl can dream, can't she? 😁 |
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Post by hammer on Nov 21, 2023 20:09:38 GMT -5
1. More drama (see #2 below)
2. Better TV production, more cameras, better announcers, close-ups that enhance drama like catching the Luper stare or focusing in on Jerritt Elliot when his team can't pass.
3. Speed up the challenge system
4. More prime time matches between top teams like Wisconsin and Stanford (coming next season on Fox supposedly)
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Post by n00b on Nov 21, 2023 20:30:52 GMT -5
I'm far less concerned now about women's basketball as a direct competitor for resources as I was, say, 10 years ago. I think there is a big enough pie for everyone and the massive crowds the last couple years in WVB have been serious eye opener to a lot of people heavily invested in WBB. I've been to many volleyball final fours, but but only went to my first women's basketball final four this past spring. I expected a similar vibe with a little more publicity and hoopla around the event. This was true- the NCAA ran a fanfest for three days adjacent to the arena, but game presentation was pretty similar. What I wasn't prepared for was the number of people there who were just straight up fans of one of the four teams. The volleyball final four always seems very local-heavy with a lot of families bringing their kids, especially young volleyball playing kids. The WBB final four last year had comparatively way fewer children than any WVB final four I attended. It might have been the teams involved, but people *traveled* for this thing. It created an entirely different playing environment. I'd be interested to know how we get to that. Because that was cool as hell. Average home attendance of 2022-23 Final Four participants '22 Texas Volleyball - 4,364 '22 Louisville Volleyball - 2,160 '22 Pittsburgh Volleyball - 1,779 '22 San Diego Volleyball - 1,046 '23 South Carolina - 12,942 '23 Iowa - 11,143 '23 LSU - 8,733 '23 Virginia Tech - 3,638 People talk a lot on here about how well Nebraska fans travel for Final Fours or for regionals they aren't hosting. But Nebraska's average home attendance would've ranked 7th when compared to women's basketball attendance numbers. Volleyball just doesn't have as many fans or as loyal of fans as women's basketball. |
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Post by pittsburgh7717 on Nov 21, 2023 21:36:37 GMT -5
The economic barrier needs to go. I look at club fees for a single season and damn near have a stroke every time. The best athletes aren't getting exposed to the sport young enough because their parents aren't going to shovel out thousands of dollars every year from the time they turn 11...
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Post by jayj79 on Nov 21, 2023 21:38:04 GMT -5
I think Volleyball has a pace of play problem, especially near the end of sets when multiple time outs and challenges occur. It dramatically reduces the game flow and building tension and worsens the product for home and television viewers. ever watch the end of a non-blowout football game or basketball game? those last "few minutes" of gameclock time take AGES in real time. especially when each timeout is expanded to 5 minutes each (or so it seems) for "media timeouts" |
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Post by staticb on Nov 21, 2023 23:41:19 GMT -5
People talk a lot on here about how well Nebraska fans travel for Final Fours or for regionals they aren't hosting. But Nebraska's average home attendance would've ranked 7th when compared to women's basketball attendance numbers. Volleyball just doesn't have as many fans or as loyal of fans as women's basketball. I must protest. Women's Basketball has the advantage of playing in a nice men's facility that seats more people. Nebraska has dedicated volleyball arena that it always sells out--but it doesn't seat as much. If they played at Pinnacle Bank arena, I think they could draw as well as the top womens' basketball programs. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2023 23:45:41 GMT -5
People talk a lot on here about how well Nebraska fans travel for Final Fours or for regionals they aren't hosting. But Nebraska's average home attendance would've ranked 7th when compared to women's basketball attendance numbers. Volleyball just doesn't have as many fans or as loyal of fans as women's basketball. I must protest. Women's Basketball has the advantage of playing in a nice men's facility that seats more people. Nebraska has dedicated volleyball arena that it always sells out--but it doesn't seat as much. If they played at Pinnacle Bank arena, I think they could draw as well as the top womens' basketball programs. How many volleyball teams have a wait list for season tickets? |
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Post by abacaxi on Nov 22, 2023 0:21:46 GMT -5
How do we measure growth?
More fans in the stands.
More TV time?
More fans watching TV?
More teams at all levels?
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Post by gobruins on Nov 22, 2023 7:50:00 GMT -5
I would do this by going against the norm and having a final 8 instead of a final 4. This year the semi-finals are on a Thursday, the finals on a Sunday. You could go with a Wednesday/Friday/Sunday deal, or even a Thursday/Friday/Sunday match instead and bring 8 teams instead of 4 to the final location. ESPN doesn't want volleyball on Friday or Saturday because, starting next year, the first round of the college football playoffs will be on Friday and Saturday of the VB Final Four weekend. Thus the move to Thursday-Sunday. On another subject: Speeding up replay, beside the obvious of better cameras, would be to have a dedicated Replay Official (I believe the SEC is doing that his year). The Replay Official can start looking at the replay before the coach even makes the challenge. That eliminates all the wasted time of the R2 listening to the coach, and explaining the challenge to about a half dozen different people at the scorer's table, before he/she start actually looking at the replay. |
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Post by kiyoat on Nov 22, 2023 9:12:01 GMT -5
I don't think rule changes are what the sport needs to increase its profile. It needs better marketing and TV availability. It needs identifiable and marketable stars. And it needs to grow in participation in the population centers in the northeast. This is all sort of happening organically now, but could be helped along…. This. The product on the court is already great. People just need to be introduced to it. i think if people look at the trend lines you are correct about it already happening. Especially this year. I wonder how much the “Volleyball day in Nebraska” has impacted new eyeballs? you know what sport has a pace of play problem, as well as a game length issue? Football (American). There is also a bad youth participation trend line in that sport, likely due to fallout over publicly about long term brain injury. what sport is actually the main competition for NCAA fan eyeballs? Football. Here at South Dakota our best-attended regular season match was scheduled immediately following the home Football game. Not a coincidence. Coaches may dislike night matches on weekends, but it helps with limiting direct competition with the same school’s football team. This applies to TV as much as attendance. JMO |
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Post by milkmandan on Nov 22, 2023 9:19:42 GMT -5
I don't think rule changes are what the sport needs to increase its profile. It needs better marketing and TV availability. It needs identifiable and marketable stars. And it needs to grow in participation in the population centers in the northeast. This is all sort of happening organically now, but could be helped along…. This. The product on the court is already great. People just need to be introduced to it. i think if people look at the trend lines you are correct about it already happening. Especially this year. I wonder how much the “Volleyball day in Nebraska” has impacted new eyeballs? you know what sport has a pace of play problem, as well as a game length issue? Football (American). There is also a bad youth participation trend line in that sport, likely due to fallout over publicly about long term brain injury. what sport is actually the main competition for NCAA fan eyeballs? Football. Here at South Dakota our best-attended regular season match was scheduled immediately following the home Football game. Not a coincidence. Coaches may dislike night matches on weekends, but it helps with limiting direct competition with the same school’s football team. This applies to TV as much as attendance. JMO Football is kind of a double-edged sword with volleyball, though. Schools that don't get great volleyball attendance will still try to draw from the football audience by scheduling matches right after football games. Nebraska did this all through the 1980's to build their fan base. It's why they drew (and continue to draw) so many old people, who didn't want to go tailgate or to a bar after the football game got over. Plus every football game was a 12:30 or 1:30 kickoff, and the game got over at 3:30 or 4:00. You could squeeze in the volleyball match before dinner. But, ironically, schools that can draw well independently of their football program -- which is still a small minority -- are the ones who want to move the season to the spring because they view football as competition. I guess the big question is what exactly are you trying to "grow"? In-person attendance, TV numbers or youth participation? Those need different strategies, but honestly, the sport's having a boom right now in all three. I don't think you need to change that much. But being able to promote the sport in the U.S. beyond college should be a big focus. |
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