Posted on Wednesday 7 May 2008
A buddy and I went to the AVP Huntington Beach Open this past weekend. I wanted to catch one of Kerri Walsh and Misty May’s matches, but we arrived about an hour too late. We walked around the tournament grounds watching the action on the various side courts. We settled in to watch a match that featured Angela Knopf and Saralyn Smith against Jenelle Koester and Sarah Straton. Why did we decide that particular match? I’m not certain, but I think it might have been Jenelle Koester…
That’s her on the right. I could say that it was her terrifc serves, clutch digs or powerful spikes, but I’d be lying. As I watched the match, I started to wonder - how much of beach volleyball’s success is based on sex? The sport really came to the forefront during the 2004 Olympics in Sydney, when May and Walsh (and all of the other competitors) showed off their toned, athletic bodies in tiny bikinis. If you remember, it was pretty amazing how popular the sport became as it was introduced to an international audience. Everyone was talking about it. Moreover, everyone was watching it, and the unbeatable Misty May and Kerri Walsh became household names. Still at the Koester match, I looked around the court, trying to figure out what percentage of attendees were there for the volleyball and what percentage were there for the view. I noticed a couple of male “photographers” taking pictures of Koester. No press passes, just big cameras with long lenses. It’s clear that a large percentage of beach volleyball fans are there for the eye candy. And I’m not just talking about women. There were a lot of female fans clustered around the men’s matches as well.
From a pure sports standpoint, indoor volleyball is more entertaining to watch. Due to the hard surface, the athletes are able to move more quickly and jump higher, which results in longer rallies and harder spikes. My wife is a former volleyball player and she doesn’t like to play on the beach because it’s hard on the ankles and it’s difficult to run and jump. For those reasons, she believes that beach volleyball players are in better shape when compared to their indoor counterparts. And given what I saw at the tourney, it’s hard to disagree.
So how aware are the players of the role that sex plays in their sport? They don’t seem to have a problem playing in bikinis, so they probably understand that it’s part of the game. Is Koester aware that 70% of the fans in attendance are staring at her amazing body? Does she like it? Does she even care?
It would be interesting to hear the answers to these questions, but I get the sense that sex is the dirty little secret around the AVP. Few will address it directly, but everyone knows it’s there and that it’s necessary for the sport to survive. After all, if all the girls started to wear loose-fitting jogging shorts and all the guys wore t-shirts, how much would attendance suffer?
Oh, by the way, the match went three sets, but Koester and Straton ultimately lost, 17-15 in the final set. But I still think she’s a winner.
Here’s a gratuitous video of these beach volleyball players in action. Enjoy.
Photos courtesy of Flickr.
What a shame people - you included - can’t see beyond the sex. If they did they would find a sport the equal of most others in athleticism, personalities and action. You’d be surprised to learn that most of the women play in bikini’s because it’s more comfortable that way. Even my wife, who isn’t the most comfortable with her body, chose to play in bikinis (when she was playing).
I love beach volleyball. I love volleyball too. Such a shame more people can’t see why!
Larry - there’s no doubt that these are athletes first and in phenomenal shape. Still, you have to admit, sex is all over this sport and as in anything else, when there is this much skin showing, it’s easy to get distracted.
By the way, I buy the bikini outfit being the most comfortable to play in, but not these micro-bikinis… it has to be uncomfortable when things “ride up,” right?
You also brought up a good point about the personalities. I thought about this last night after I posted - watching two-on-two beach volleyball is interesting in that the partnership dynamic is much more important than the interpersonal relationships in indoor volleyball. Indoors, you have six players on the court for each team and there is a coach there to keep things together. In beach volleyball, there are two players who are each trying to set the direction. If they’re not on the same page, they’re going to lose. That’s one reason why May/Walsh are so good - the chemistry is there.
Now you’re talking! To be honest I’ve been playing the game for 10 years and I struggle to see most of the tactics the teams employ.
You’re right that sex is all over the sport. I guess we can’t escape it. I guess its the frustration that the sport can’t seem to really elevate despite having every ingredient to reach mass popularity. I always figure this ’sex’ element stops people from taking the sport seriously and yet look past it and it is just the most amazing game.
As for the micro-bikini’s I don’t know. I’ve had a lot of women have a shot at me when I say I play beach volleyball, saying that the size of bikinis is ridiculous but the women choose their outfits. I must get to the bottom of that because it’s always been a bit of an unknown.
Great chatting with you
Likewise, thanks for your insight.