Beach volleyball hopes ESPN draws Olympic fans
Beach volleyball has a new ally as it tries to grow from an Olympic phenomenon to an every-year attraction: ESPN.
The sports network will broadcast the World Series of Beach Volleyball, an international pro tour stop in California in July. Event organizers hope the exposure will help beach volleyball attract new fans and hold onto the ones who watch during the Summer Games only to drift away until the next Olympics.
“The fact that ESPN is partnering with us is just a game-changer,” said five-time Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings, who has committed to the event. “That’s something that beach volleyball has never had. I think the average sports fan takes the sport more seriously when they’re on ESPN.”
Like the Iowa caucuses or Feb. 29 of leap years, beach volleyball has its moment in the sun every quadrennium but then largely disappears for another four years. One of the most popular events at the Olympics, the sport has struggled to translate that success into a full-time audience.