USA Men's Volleyball
Published on July 16, 2025
Introduction
Those who know me know my love for volleyball. If you know me really well, you know my favorite country to watch is France (allez les bleus). However, as an American, I find it is my patriotic duty to support team USA [1]. Many people believe that team USA's men's volleyball team is "falling behind" on the international stage. While I have faith in our younger talent, the problem is a little deeper than that. Allow me to elaborate:
While USA volleyball may not possess the same dominance as its basketball counterpart, the team consistently performs at an elite level despite disadvantages within the domestic sports landscape. The core issue is not a dip in performance, but a structural ceiling that limits the sport's growth and cultural penetration.
[1] Note that I'm not very patriotic outside of sports.
Culture
Basketball and soccer have millions of kids playing from a young age. Basketball is an American invention woven into our culture. Soccer has exploded in popularity, especially among youth. Volleyball's story has a unique twist: Title IX. This landmark legislation was incredible for women's sports, leading to an explosion of women's volleyball programs in high schools and colleges. But it had an unintended side effect: it culturally branded volleyball as a "girls' sport" in the US. Right now, there are more than 470k high school girls playing volleyball while there are only around 77k high school boys.
Potentially counteracting the "girls' sport" brand is a Japanese anime show call Haikyuu!!. The show portrays men's volleyball with the same intensity and drama as other shows portray fighting, focusing on gravity-defying spikes, brilliant tactical plays, and the fierce rivalries between teams. For a generation of young men, Haikyuu!! has made volleyball look undeniably cool. Coaches and players across the country have noted the uptick in interest and participation from boys who were first introduced to the sport's intensity through the adventures of characters like Shoyo Hinata and my personal favorite: Kei Tsukishima . While many veteran volleyball players cringe at the fact that their sport is being taken over by fans of an animated show, the truth is Haikyuu!! has effectively brought positive attention and new talent to the sport.
University Volleyball
The best (subjective) american athletes go to play at the best (subjective) american schools. This has always been the case. Let's talk NCAA since that's the most well-known.
Men's Basketball: 352 D1 teams Men's Soccer: 203 D1 teams Men's Volleyball: 25 D1 teams
From a high school athlete's perspective, there's no developmental or financial incentive to pursue volleyball over a sport like basketball. It's a simple math problem. The NCAA is a superhighway for basketball players and a growing network for soccer players. For volleyball players, it's a narrow, winding footpath with a massive bottleneck.
Men's volleyball is often one of the first sports to get cut when budgets are tight. In early 2025, Grand Canyon University (GCU) announced it was cutting its men's volleyball program. This wasn't a struggling team; they were consistently ranked in the top 10 and were recently an NCAA tournament semi-finalist. Yet, the university cut the program, citing the financial "realities of a modern-day athletics department." The loss of GCU removes one of the precious few programs, shrinking an already tiny pool of opportunity for aspiring players.
Professional Volleyball
Every young athlete dreams of going pro. The NBA is a global juggernaut, with a $6.9 billion annual media deal and an average salary of $9.6 million. The MLS is stable, growing, and has a $250 million annual deal with Apple. Somehow its average attendance tops the NBA's. On the other hand, men's (indoor) volleyball has no major, stable professional league in the US. This professional vacuum forces top American players to go overseas to play professionally in countries like Italy, Poland, and Japan. Our best players are invisible to the American public for 90% of their careers, only showing up for the Olympics or VNL. With no league at home, there are no big media deals, no major sponsorships, and no consistent way to inspire the next generation.
Future
To secure its future dominance, US volleyball must evolve by focusing on three key areas. First, increasing grassroots accessibility by adding public volleyball courts in parks. This would broaden the sport's appeal and talent pool beyond the expensive and gated club system. Second, a domestic professional leagues would make strides for the sport. The AVP and AVP league are great additions, but men's volleyball needs an American indoor league since many athletes want to continue playing post-college. This would keep top talent and role models within the country, providing the sport with more visibility. Finally, the NCAA needs to increase funding for its sports. The system's growing reliance on international talent raises important questions. The influx of foreign players elevates the level of competition but also demonstrates the superior developmental programs of other nations. This forces us to look at how US volleyball compares to its rivals and leads to a provocative question: is Canadian volleyball going to be better than American?
Short answer: no. We'll get into that another time :)